Nieman Reports

THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VOL. 63 NO. 3 FALL 2009

Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media

genevaoh Partnerships—with former rivals, universities, new media orgs—can help newspapers to continue to play central role #aejmc

fonstuinstra News Corp. to restructure Asia broadcast business http://ff.im/-6MzAr

jayrosen_nyu Do—definitely do—check out the new http://gazetteonline.com/ From The Gazette in Iowa, @via @stevebuttry

dangillmor NYT on Kindle, DRM and public interest http://bit.ly/VuV1l

Words & Reflections Books: About Afghanistan, Foreign News, Netroots, Objectivity in News Reporting, Journalists’ Political Leanings, and Cold War Spies Teaching Journalism in China ‘to promote and elevate the standards of journalism’

Agnes Wahl Nieman the benefactor of the Nieman Foundation

Vol. 63 No. 3 Fall 2009 Nieman Reports The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University

Bob Giles | Publisher Melissa Ludtke | Editor Jan Gardner | Assistant Editor Jonathan Seitz | Editorial Assistant Diane Novetsky | Design Editor

Nieman Reports (USPS #430-650) is published Editorial in March, June, September and December Telephone: 617-496-6308 by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, E-Mail Address: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098. [email protected]

Subscriptions/Business Internet Address: Telephone: 617-496-2968 www.niemanreports.org E-Mail Address: [email protected] Copyright 2009 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Subscription $25 a year, $40 for two years; add $10 per year for foreign airmail. Single copies $7.50. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Back copies are available from the Nieman office. Massachusetts and additional entries.

Please address all subscription correspondence to POSTMASTER: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098 Send address changes to and change of address information to Nieman Reports, P.O. Box 4951, Manchester, NH 03108. P.O. Box 4951, ISSN Number 0028-9817 Manchester, NH 03108. Nieman Reports

THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VOL. 63 NO. 3 FALL 2009

4 Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media

Finding a Good Fit | Journalism and Social Media

5 What Is Journalism’s Place in Social Media? | By Geneva Overholser 7 Social Media: The Ground Shifts | By Richard Gordon 10 Blogs, Tweets, Social Media, and the News Business | By Robert G. Picard 12 An Antidote for Web Overload | By Matt Thompson 15 Digital Media’s Key to Success: Must-Read Content | By Brian Reich 17 Dealing With Disruption | By Jon Palfreman

Building Community | Journalists’ New Journey

20 What’s Old Can Be New Again—Assisted By Digital Media | By Steve Buttry 22 Inviting the Rise of the Entrepreneurial Journalist | By Lewis DVorkin 24 Ours, Theirs and the Bloggers’ Zones: Compatible, Yet Different | By Shane Richmond 27 A Photographer’s Journey: From Newspapers to Social Media | An Essay in Words and Photographs by Jim MacMillan 31 Reporting Relies on Questions: Now They Come From Readers | By Vaughn Hagerty 32 An Explosion Prompts Rethinking of Twitter and Facebook | By Courtney Lowery

Earning Trust | Credibility Through Conversation

35 The 21st Century Journalist’s Creed | By Michael R. Fancher 36 The Public and Journalists: They Disagree on Core Values | By Esther Thorson and Michael R. Fancher 38 Why the News Media Became Irrelevant—And How Social Media Can Help | By Michael Skoler 40 Media Users, Media Creators: Principles of Active Engagement | By Dan Gillmor 42 Creating Ethical Bridges From Journalism to Digital News | By Jan Leach 44 Closing the Credibility Gap | By Scott Rosenberg 46 Confessing Errors in a Digital Age | By Scott R. Maier Spreading the News | Impact and Engagement

49 Blogging Communities Spurred to Action | By Leonard Witt 51 Internet Censorship: The Myth, Oft Told, and the Reality | By Fons Tuinstra 53 Engaging Youth in Social Media: Is Facebook the New Media Frontier? | By Christine Greenhow and Jeff Reifman

56 Words & Reflections

56 Afghanistan-ism: An Apt Metaphor for Foreign News Reporting | By John Maxwell Hamilton 59 The Netroots: Bloggers and the 2008 Presidential Campaign | By John McQuaid 61 An Argument Why Journalists Should Not Abandon Objectivity | Book Excerpt by Alex S. Jones 63 The Newsroom’s Disdain for Revealing Reporters’ Political Leanings | By Reed Richardson 65 Spies and Journalists: Taking a Look at Their Intersections | By Murray Seeger 67 Learning About China’s Changes While Teaching Journalism | By James Ross

3 Curator’s Corner: Preparing to Cover a Pandemic: A New Guide for Journalists | By Bob Giles

69 Nieman Notes | Compiled by Jan Gardner 69 Adapting Investigative Reporting Skills to Policy Advocacy | By Jerry Kammer 71 Class Notes 77 End Note: Embedding a Reporter With a Shakespearean Production | By Alicia Anstead

Cover: Words in the speech boxes on the cover are from tweets by or about contributors to this issue. Graphic by Diane Novetsky/Nova Design Nieman Reports Online

www.niemanreports.org

2 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Curator’s Corner

Preparing to Cover a Pandemic: A New Guide for Journalists ‘The idea behind this guide is to provide an accessible, trusted resource in case the H1N1 strain, or any new or known flu strain, strikes in more deadly form.’

BY BOB GILES

hree years ago, the Nieman Foundation convened a of “crisis” reporting, coverage of this evolving story, with first-of-its-kind conference for journalists, experts the exception of occasional pieces about summer camp flu in infectious diseases and world, national and local protocols and new recommendations about school closure Tpublic health officials to explore how to cover a potential policies, has diminished considerably. pandemic. Then the concern was avian flu, and the gather- With layoffs of health, medical and science reporters ing’s purpose was to achieve the following: (and entire science and health units) happening in U.S. newsrooms, fewer journalists with expertise to coordinate • Improve journalists’ understanding of the dynamics of a coverage are left. Will this story reside with reporters who health crisis—from the threats it poses to efforts needed bring little scientific knowledge or actual experience in to cope. covering an outbreak? Our reliance on having journalists • Engage journalists, scientists and public health officials who are prepared to dive in with informed questions, in dialogue about their intersecting roles and purpose. probe deeply and report with authority might now rest on • Examine how newsrooms and news organizations should shakier ground. The challenge will be amplified if H1N1 is prepare to handle such coverage and keep their own op- transformed into a pandemic with more widespread severe erations going. illness and higher mortality. • Consider the crucial role journalism plays—from prepared- One feature of this story makes pandemic flu coverage ness to response to recovery. unique: Journalists will report on what is happening, but also will be potential carriers. “What do we know about This effort echoes the intent of other conferences protecting ourselves when we travel to a hot zone?” asks organized by the foundation in which we identify an is- Friedhoff. “How do we make sure we don’t carry the vi- sue pertinent to journalists—one not well understood in rus back to our colleagues? How many newsrooms have newsrooms or not receiving adequate coverage—then bring thought about how to cover a pandemic when a large together experts in the field for several days of learning number of staff are sick or told to stay home for public and dialogue. Information from these conferences is then health reasons?’’ widely distributed to other journalists. During a pandemic, the news media become a primary Nieman Reports published a wealth of material from source of public communication. The press will want to this conference in its Spring 2007 edition. Then, a spe- assure its independence, yet public health officials will cial issue, focused solely on this topic, was distributed to certainly ask for cooperation in getting specific messages journalists. We’ve updated and expanded that report, and and information to the public. Journalists need to be the new guide to covering a pandemic will be available in well informed about flu viruses in general so they will be early fall on the Nieman Foundation’s Web site. Stefanie prepared to do their work efficiently and effectively with Friedhoff, a 2001 Nieman Fellow and the foundation’s this one. Realizing which of the “experts” is truly to be special projects manager, organized the 2006 conference trusted as a source is essential at a time when public panic and is editor of the guide. “The idea behind this guide is is likely to be setting in. to provide an accessible, solid resource in case the H1N1 The journalist’s guide the Nieman Foundation has cre- strain, or any new or known flu strain, strikes in more ated contains the accumulated wisdom of those reporters deadly form,” she says. experienced in covering infectious diseases. Valuable insights While swine flu, so far, seems to have lulled us into a surface in excerpts from conversations with public health belief that a pandemic doesn’t always spell disaster, health officials. For those new to the subject, the guide offers a officials recognize that flu pandemics typically arrive in quick introduction to key questions about influenza and waves; as winter arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, it pandemics along with a glossary and explanations of ba- is possible a more lethal strain of the flu—and a more sic terms and roadmaps through some local and national dangerous pandemic—might be with us. Physicians and preparedness efforts as well as international coordination scientists are learning much about this virus, yet coverage during an outbreak. It’s a resource for story ideas, links of their findings—and reporting about the public health to excellent online resources, and questions any reporter guidance based on them—is scant. After an initial flurry is going to want to ask. 

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 3 Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media

There are times when technological change catches up with an idea. Now is such a moment, as social media transform how people receive and share news and information. Just a few years back the notion of journalism being a conversation, not a lecture, wasn’t embraced widely in an industry content to transmit what reporters learned to audiences expected to consume it. Com- fort with that notion grew as online comments and live chats assumed a role that Letters to the Editor once held on their own, albeit with greater anonymity and often less civility. Then, from the “audience” spilled forth blogs and photos, videos and tweets. Soon, the words “citizen” and “journalist” were joined in a marriage brokered by tech- nology and nurtured by convenience as news organizations shed staff yet still needed to produce “content.” With talking and sharing so much a part of the Web’s ethos, it’s the job of journalists to adapt. This means using these social media tools in ways that add value to what they do. In some newsrooms, it’s a try-everything-see- what-works approach. In others, there’s a more deliberate strategy: Specific tools Cartoon courtesy of John Cole, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pennsylvania. are employed to reach different goals. With each method, the most effective schooling usually comes from outside the newsroom. In recounting the social media learning curve at NewWest.Net, Editor Courtney Lowery writes: “When we turned off the Twitter link to the Facebook page, one of our readers wrote: ‘tweets are not fb status posts. glad you got it.’ Loud and clear.” Examples abound in our collection of stories about ways journalists are using social media to interact with sources and consumers. Cautionary flags get raised in our multifaceted exploration of emerging ethical issues and how credibility is earned on the Web. As he illuminates key prin- ciples for digital media literacy, “We the Media” author Dan Gillmor asserts that “we’ll need to transform ourselves from passive consumers of media into active users. And to accomplish that, we’ll have to instill throughout our society principles that add up to critical thinking and honor- able behavior.” Social media can bring greater depth and breadth to journalists’ work. What’s curious, how- ever, is how seldom the word “journalism” seems to surface in the numerous forums about digital media. In her Nieman Reports’ essay, Geneva Overholser, director of the University of South- ern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism, observed this dynamic at her school’s “Beyond Broadcast 09” conference in June. “Never in the three days we were together did I once hear the word ‘journalism’ mentioned,” she writes. [While its] “values and practices might be evident, the term itself is absent.” In this issue, the term is present, experiences are shared, and intersections of social media and journalism emerge. —Melissa Ludtke

4 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 FINDING A GOOD FIT | Journalism and Social Media What Is Journalism’s Place in Social Media? ‘Bringing our journalistic values to these environments that have captured the imagination of millions is one of the most promising ways we have of serving that interest.’

BY GENEVA OVERHOLSER

f our focus on social National Association of Hispanic media is primarily about Journalists convention, a young how to use them as woman cried out: “Michael Jack- I“tools” for journalism, we son died!” Using my iPhone, I risk getting it backward. Googled “Michael Jackson died.” Social media are not so Several reports showed up—all much mere tools as they from years long-gone. His was are the ocean we’re going a much-rumored death. So I to be swimming in—at checked Twitter, and found the least until the next chapter TMZ report—couched in some of the digital revolution skepticism from my tweeps. On comes along. What needs to the Los Angeles Times, where our attention is how we’re Jackson was still in a coma. Now going to play roles that the flight was leaving. Not until I bring journalistic values landed did I get the confirmation into this vast social media I itched for: the Times, quoting territory. the coroner. It is essential to begin But what if TMZ had quoted by understanding various the coroner? Would I have social media sites and the stopped there? ways they can enhance This raises questions about the work journalists do. what verification means in this A regular perusal of sites age of social media. And what is like 10000words.net and journalism’s role in making sure savethemedia.com is a information is verified? It strikes great way to do this. But me that most people don’t care how do we move beyond as much about who publishes acquainting ourselves with news (or what are often rumors) this world and actually fig- first these days as they do about ure out how to “use” it for whether the sites they rely on journalism, which requires have it right when they want it. understanding its nature Now, as we all know, news and and impact on participants information need to be on the and on public life? platform we’re checking, wher- What does it mean to ever we are. journalists, for example, Being there and being accurate Geneva Overholser’s Facebook page. that people are in large are how journalistic credibility is measure obtaining, and brought to the social media ocean. shaping, their informa- Yet many legacy media have fallen tion so differently than behind in delivering this one-two they have in the past? punch combination. While it’s a In June, as I got on the given that there will always be plane to fly back from the a need for reliable verification,

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 5 Journalism and Social Media

what must be better understood is how ourselves. Our job is to keep an eye practice—the new sensibilities required people seek out news and information on the public interest. Bringing our of them now that they will swim there and how they learn through their use journalistic values to these environ- as journalists. of social media. ments that have captured the imagi- Integrating the questions and issues Recently, the MacArthur Foun- nation of millions is one of the most and tools into everyday classroom dis- dation’s John Bracken and I talked promising ways we have of serving cussion is critical. When the focus is about the process by which an online that interest. on journalistic ethics, the geopolitical community or group digests an event Too often, it seems, those of us implications of social networks’ role and comes to an understanding of it who’ve been about building commu- belong in that discussion. In lessons in real time. This happens among Fa- nity through our journalism seem to revolving around entrepreneurial cebook friends or people whose tweets assume a kind of “how dare they?” journalism, there needs to be woven we follow or folks who create new attitude toward those who construct into the conversation the issue of records of events on Wikipedia. The communities through social media. how journalists handle their personal question well worth asking is where We’ve got to get over that. People are engagement in social networks. Along journalism fits in this fast-emerging vastly more powerful now as consumers with this would come discussion of and ever-changing social media and and shapers of news. The less loudly how they “brand” themselves for a digital ecosystem. journalists applaud this development, future that is likely to include a lot During a June conference, “Beyond the further behind we’ll be left until of independent activity. Broadcast 09,”1 held at the University we fade to irrelevance. At Annenberg, we’ve now hired of Southern California’s Annenberg Accuracy, proportionality and fair- digital innovators and observers— School of Journalism, conversations ness, as time-honored journalistic val- Andrew Lih, author of “The Wikipedia ranged from the information needs ues, are well worth adoption by those Revolution,” Robert Hernandez, who of communities to democratizing conversing through social networks. executed the vision for The Seattle the language of online storytelling, Useful, too, would be journalism’s Times’ Web site, and Henry Jenkins, from maintaining editorial quality (albeit imperfect) emphasis on includ- who directed MIT’s Comparative Media to enabling dialogue and the future ing a broad range of voices. Cool as a Studies program. Using their ability of public service media. Each topic lot of these social networks are, they to weave experiences and knowledge discussed was central to the future of can be extremely cliquish. Witness the into our curricula, we know that social journalism. Yet, never in the three days prevailing Twitter discussions about media will become integral to what we were together did I once hear the whither journalism, often filled with is taught in our journalism classes. word “journalism” mentioned. From more strut than substance, lacking both Timely discussions of emerging ex- there I went to a conference at MIT, historical and international context and amples of social media’s influence where the organizing theme was “civic begging the question: If the Web is on journalism and vice versa must media.” In many of these situations, all about democratization, how come continue, as well. I find myself using the term “infor- everybody in the debate sounds like The journalism academy has another mation in the public interest.” In all a 19-year-old privileged male? important role to play. It’s the natural these cases, however much journalistic home for substantial analysis and re- values and practices might be evident, In the Classroom search exploring the impact of social the term itself is absent. media on learning, on the processing of Finally, how do we bring social media information, and on the civic dialogue. Journalism: The Missing into the academy? So far, we at An- As journalists come to understand the Ingredient nenberg have done it patchily by bring- nature and value of information being ing in folks to do series of workshops gathered and conveyed through vari- I’m not suggesting that journalism—as for students and faculty. We’ve had ous social networks, they will not only a word, a concept, and a craft—has regular discussions with digital media act more effectively in this new and gone away or is no longer important. innovators throughout the year. One vital world. They will also enhance the I’m saying that those of us who ground challenge, of course, is that people’s prospects for journalism’s long-term ourselves in what we know to be an level of understanding and comfort is survival.  ethically sound and civically essential all over the place. Moreover, when the mode of information gathering and students learning about social media Geneva Overholser, a 1986 Nieman information dissemination have to find are 18-year-olds, most are already Fellow, is the director of the University a way to be in these conversations— swimming comfortably in these wa- of Southern California’s Annenberg whatever we call the conversations or ters. Yet, they do need to ponder—and School of Journalism.

1 See the conference agenda at http://bb2009.uscannenberg.org/images/uploads/ agenda_print.pdf.

6 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit

Social Media: The Ground Shifts Social networks serving as Web services, not sites, ‘create new challenges for journalists, news organizations, and media companies that are only now starting to embrace social media.’

BY RICHARD GORDON

hen the history of online journalism is written, it will be hard to ignore the biggest Wmistake made by news organizations and media companies: thinking of the World Wide Web as primarily a one-way broadcasting or publishing medium. Back in 1996, when I was the first online director for The Miami Herald Publishing Company, I was as guilty of this misperception as anyone. Our team created discussion boards but hoped they’d require no attention from our staff. We didn’t think that cultivating community or moderating discussions were appropriate or necessary roles for a journalist. And we ignored evidence right in front of us—our own behavior as online users—that the most powerful and persistent driver of Internet us- age was the value of connecting with Newsmixer.us was created by graduate students at the Medill School of Journalism at other people. Northwestern University to test new ways for users to comment on news stories. Today, with commenting opportuni- ties available on almost any kind of will likely welcome and appreciate their Facebook ID instead of a site- content Web site, and with Facebook this transformation, but it will create specific login. Beyond that, Facebook and Twitter empowering new forms of new challenges for journalists, news Connect allows other sites to shape interpersonal communication online, organizations, and media companies users’ experiences through profile it’s hard to find a news organization that are only now starting to embrace information, such as their list of Fa- that’s not trying to tap into what we social media. cebook friends. once would have called “online com- munities” and now more typically refer Facebook and Twitter Twitter, because it makes tweets to as “social media.” available through an easily available So this may not be the ideal time The two forces driving the latest evolu- Application Programming Interface to suggest that the social media land- tion of interpersonal communication (API), has enabled the creation of an scape is continuing to be transformed online are now well known: Facebook enormous variety of applications that in ways that journalists and news and Twitter. Savvy journalists and me- tap into its ever-growing database of organizations will find confounding. dia leaders recognize how important 140-character snippets without requir- Online communities and social net- these sites are, but many have not ing the user to visit Twitter.com. works, which historically have been noticed what I think are their most formed on Web sites, are instead significant attributes: Last year, Forrester Research analyst becoming Web services that shape Charlene Li predicted: “… in the future, people’s digital lives across many sites Facebook, through a service called social networks will be like air.” It will and many communication channels. Facebook Connect, now allows any seem “archaic and quaint,” Li wrote, As online users and consumers, we other Web site to log in users with that we had to go to a Web site to “be

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 7 Journalism and Social Media

with comparable tools such as Twit- terific for users of mobile phones. As with Facebook Connect, Twitter is enabling people to connect without visiting its Web site. There are other services trying to capitalize on the same basic concepts— such as OpenID, a service enabling log-ins to multiple sites using the same ID, and Friend Connect, Google’s effort to compete with Facebook Connect. Google is also a force in the Open- Social consortium, which is trying to develop a commonly accepted toolkit for connecting the social Web.

News Mixer

I can’t pretend to know how all this will evolve, which social interaction tools will become the most popular, and whether social networks will ever really become “like air” online. But some of the implications are becom- ing clear:

• Web sites that have built their audi- ences by enabling user participation have new opportunities to do so by leveraging social networks people have established elsewhere. • Social network IDs—typically based on real names—might enable higher- Using Facebook Connect, anyone with a Facebook account can log onto newsmixer.us and quality interaction than we’ve seen post questions, answers, quips and letters to the editor. on news sites where the identity of those who comment is often shielded by anonymity. social.” At the time, it wasn’t easy to The revolutionary idea behind • Content sites may find themselves find the evidence that Li’s prediction Facebook Connect is this: Facebook challenged in growing audience would come true any time soon. But is encouraging other sites to cre- engagement because their users are now, changes at Facebook and Twitter ate more engaging user experiences interacting mostly through their so- are bringing the future more clearly by leveraging the Facebook “social cial networks instead of on separate into focus. graph”—without needing to visit Face- Web sites. Facebook officially launched Fa- book.com. This approach is completely • An increasing amount of content cebook Connect in December, after counter to the thinking of traditional shared on Facebook and Twitter con- several months in which a few sites news organizations, which have been sists of Web links that search engines were invited to test it. Today, Facebook reluctant even to link to other sites cannot see or index. This poses for says more than 15,000 sites have for fear that users will click away and Google the most serious threat yet implemented the service, including not come back. to achieving its corporate mission: YouTube, CNN, Digg and Microsoft’s Meanwhile, Twitter has become a “to organize the world’s information XBox Live service for gamers. While widely recognized (and sometimes and make it universally accessible this means online users are becoming ridiculed) phenomenon not because of and useful.” accustomed to being offered the option Twitter.com, a site experienced through • As Facebook and Twitter increase of logging in with their Facebook ID, a Web browser, but because of add- their ability to understand users and they might not grasp just how novel ons such as Twhirl and Tweetdeck. their behavior, they could become this service is by the standards of This software for personal computers formidable advertising platforms— traditional media thinking. manages people’s Twitter experience, competing with original-content

8 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit

sites but also potentially comments that allow people becoming useful partners to leave feedback in a quick, in selling and delivering to-the-point form. They’re targeted advertising on news modeled after Twitter and and media Web sites. instant messaging.

To illustrate some of the op- Letters to the Editor: A very old portunities that are presented idea, but with a few new twists. by the new social landscape, News Mixer calls on letter writ- I can point to News Mixer, a ers to “add your voice to the Web site prototype developed marketplace of ideas. Offer a by a class that I codirected thoughtful point of view in 250 last year (with my colleague words or less.” Once written, Jeremy Gilbert) in the journal- letters are treated equivalently ism master’s program at the to articles in News Mixer. Each Medill School at Northwestern letter gets its own page, and University. (News Mixer can be people are allowed to write explored at newsmixer.us.) letters in response. When a The six students in the letter is particularly insightful, class1—including two software an editor can use the News developers who were earning Mixer content management their master’s in journalism system to designate it as an through a “programmer-jour- “editor highlight.” These then nalist” scholarship program appear on the home page, in- funded by the Knight News termingled with news articles. Challenge—were asked to The idea is to encourage and come up with approaches to reward the most thoughtful “conversations around news.” responses. They concluded that news site comments often didn’t work News Mixer has been widely well. The quality of conversa- praised, described as “an inno- tion was poor, and the vast Users write Twitter-style quips and comments, which appear vative community news frame- majority of users rarely par- alongside the main story. work” (by the influential blog ticipated. They also noted that Read/Write Web), a “cool new news sites have applied little project” (Editor & Publisher), creative thinking to the chal- and “a great piece of innova- lenge of building user participation. All thereby potentially drawing them to tion” (blogger/consultant Mark Potts). they’ve done is offer an “open-ended participate as well. The software code that powers News comment box.” In place of the open-ended comment Mixer has been made available on an The students designed News Mixer box, News Mixer offers three ways of open-source basis, and several compa- to improve the user experience. First, commenting: nies are experimenting with it. it uses Facebook Connect, which, of Whatever happens with News Mixer, course, means people can log in with Questions and Answers: Displayed social media are changing in funda- their Facebook ID. Beyond that, the site like annotations in the margin of an mental ways. Journalists, newsrooms highlights comments from each user’s article, readers can ask a question and media companies ignore these social network, meaning that every user about any paragraph of the article—or changes at their peril.  has a different—and personalized— respond to questions left behind by experience. Also, every time people other people. Richard Gordon is an associate profes- post to News Mixer, they are given the sor and director of digital innovation option of cross-posting that comment Quips: Visible as a small talk-bubble at Medill School of Journalism at to their Facebook feed, exposing it to in a live feed on the home page and Northwestern University. friends who are not using News Mixer, on article pages, quips are short-form

1 The students—Brian Boyer, Ryan Mark, Angela Nitzke, Joshua Pollock, Stuart Tiffen, and Kayla Webley—documented their experience and findings in a blog and a comprehensive report available at www.crunchberry.org.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 9 Journalism and Social Media

Blogs, Tweets, Social Media, and the News Business ‘Merely because a technology is popular with some users and journalists does not mean that its use will be beneficial to the news enterprise as a whole.’

BY ROBERT G. PICARD

udging from their widespread gies to employ. Most importantly, the other purposes, especially in creating adoption, it’s hard to find a tech- decisions reached will vary for differ- interactions that strengthen the brand nology that news organizations ent news enterprises based on their and form and maintain relationships Jdon’t embrace. Read the Los Angeles circumstances and needs. that bond users of various platforms Times on Kindle. Watch ABC News on to news organizations. If these are YouTube. Leave a comment on a blog Determining Technology’s the primary benefits of contemporary about media and marketing from the Value technologies, news organizations must Chicago Sun-Times. Listen to a podcast become much more sophisticated in of “On Science” from National Public News organizations are operating with their thinking about them and how Radio. Participate in a discussion board constrained budgets in highly dynamic to achieve those benefits. hosted by The Washington Post about markets.1 Clear strategies must govern Each platform requires clear and college admissions. Receive SMS news all uses of journalistic, financial and distinct strategies, as does the overall about the Dallas Cowboys from The human resources allocated for these use of multiple platforms. If interac- Dallas Morning News. Get features technologies. Merely because a tech- tions are the goal, the reason for each from Time on a PDA and tweets of nology is popular with some users interaction needs to be clearly delin- breaking news from CNN. and journalists does not mean that eated. And what should it accomplish? The mantra for news organizations its use will be beneficial to the news What messages and images should it is to be anywhere, anytime, on any enterprise as a whole. project of the news organization? How platform. But is this strategy really a Here’s a sensible first question to are the benefits of those interactions good idea? In an era when the busi- raise: How will the use of a given to be measured? ness models for news are stressed, technology generate money? Even if the value turns out not to hard thinking should be done in as- And if its uses don’t generate be measured in financial terms, clear sessing the opportunities that various money—or, at the very least, pay for goals ought to be set forth in terms technologies present. It isn’t the time their full costs—one needs to have an of return on the investment—such as merely to be copying what others are exceptionally clear answer as to why the effect on brand equity, number of doing. it is being used at all. Reasons can be unique users served, and the move- Tough questions must be asked to found to use some without full cost ment of nonusers to paid products. figure out which of the new technolo- recovery, but those should be based These goals should be articulated and gies is beneficial for journalism and on strategic thinking and informed pursued, and performance in reach- the business of journalism. Is each choice, not on technological hype and ing them measured. When forming one equally useful? What are the real exuberance. stronger relationships is the goal, costs in staff time and the operating In the decade and a half since the clear strategies need to be stated. How costs to be on the various platforms? Internet emerged as a viable medium, personalizing communications across What is actually achieved for the news and the decade since mobile communi- platforms will happen also needs to organization in being there? Does every cations became practicable, questions be considered. news organization need to be active on of how content providers can effectively Methods for measuring and evalu- all of the platforms? Finally, how can earn money from either have remained ating performance have to be devel- a news organization achieve optimal prominent. The lack of truly effective oped. These should be used to track benefit across platforms? revenue models to support the gather- the effectiveness of any of these new The answers we find might lead ing and distribution of news has led approaches to determine whether to deciding which of these technolo- many to argue that providing this serves the money spent and other resources

1 In the Winter 2006 issue of Nieman Reports, Picard wrote an article entitled “Capital Crisis in the Profitable Newspaper Industry,” in which he observed that this crisis had arrived “at a time when the newspaper industry is struggling, too, to respond to changes in technologies, society and in how consumers use media.” His article can be read at www.niemanreports.org.

10 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit used were warranted and whether the technology was effectively used. What are the effects on the print product? !TTHE#ROSSROADSOF4ECHNOLOGYAND0EOPLE With online content? With the news organization, as a whole? Have existing 0%23/.!, ).4%2!#4)/. products been supported or harmed? Have beneficial business opportunities emerged? $ISCUSSION "OARDS Such managerial challenges posed "LOGS by these technologies should not deter their use. There are, of course, risks also associated with a decision not to engage in some or all of these tech- nologies. This is the time for neither ,/7).6/,6%-%.4 ()'().6/,6%-%.4 inertia nor indecisiveness when it &,%%4).'#/.4!#4 %84%.$%$#/.4!#4 comes to making such decisions. 9OU4UBE E"OOK Understanding the Benefits .EWS 2EADER 0$!.EWS 2EPORTS &ULL#OPY 2EPORTS Clearly, there is benefit to a news organization in interactive commu- 2EQUESTED nication with users. By using online 3-3 0ODCASTS tools, journalists get information, 4WEETS ideas and feedback. And if they do interact consistently with readers and ).&/2-!4)/. viewers, they develop a different type 02/6)3)/. of relationship than the arms-length connection that traditional mass com- The factors shown in this diagram have important business implications. For a news munication created. organization to earn money from using these social media tools, the activities related For users, social media and blogs to the high involvement with extended contact (visible in the lower right) are more offer anyone the opportunity to express likely to generate greater payments from audiences and advertisers than those in other themselves and to connect with persons quadrants. They also affect the extent to which relationship development and branding of like mind or interests. These digital benefits can be obtained. Relationships are established and maintained best through tools provide an easy (little to no cost) highly involved personal interactions (upper-right quadrant). Some branding benefits way for members of the public to take occur through ubiquitous contacts of all kinds, but the most beneficial ones are obtained part in discussion with larger groups through regular contact that tends to result from uses in the quadrants on the right. Im- of people and draw attention to issues age and text by Robert Picard. and topics that traditional news media might have overlooked. For news organizations, however, this is a two-edged sword. In many worthy pastime; others conclude they The ability to create relationships instances, the content that news are a waste of time. They are more with and among users is among the organizations produce (at a cost) is important to some people than to oth- widely touted benefits of social media distributed by others, thus removing ers. Not everyone wants to be or will tools. Even so, achieving this goal has the need or desire for many people be equally wired, communicating, or yet to be shown to be very effective at to seek out the original sources of sharing their opinions and the details maintaining or producing better overall the information. This circumstance, of their lives. Some persons find the use of the news products, which is of course, threatens the commercial communications technologies more the primary revenue source for news model because of its deleterious effects rewarding in business; others empha- enterprises. In short, relationships on revenue and cost recovery. size personal benefits. Consequently, don’t necessarily translate into greater Millions of people use new technolo- many of these technologies serve only economic value. gies, yet in this time of exploration and a fraction of the entire digital audi- Understanding the function and use experimentation, the users of these ence, in most cases from five to 20 of social media is critical in making digital tools react to them in different percent. This, too, must be factored business decisions. In general, the ways. Some find them highly useful and in as media enterprises realistically functions range from information satisfying; others find them worthless assess the potential of the opportuni- provision to personal interaction and, and disappointing. Some find them a ties they seek to create. when they are used, the result can be

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 11 Journalism and Social Media

low involvement and fleeting contact or high involvement, which can lead to extended contact. [See diagram Technology Diminishes Journalists’ Value on page 11.] It is still early when it comes to In May, Robert Picard wrote a piece in terms. With each new layoff or pa- the use of these technologies by news The Christian Science Monitor titled per closing, they tell themselves organizations. Already, however, we can “Why journalists deserve low pay.” that no business model could find some indications of the effective- The crux of his argument was that adequately compensate the holy ness of these interactive, social and the social value created by journalism work of enriching democratic instant messaging technologies. isn’t enough to pay journalists’ salaries society, speaking truth to power, They tend to be more beneficial for and keep news organizations solvent. and comforting the afflicted. national and large metropolitan news In arguing his case, Picard points out Actually, journalists deserve low organizations than they are for smaller that economic value for journalists’ pay. Wages are compensation for local ones. This is because they offer work arose out of “the exclusivity of value creation. And journalists the competitive advantages of making their access to information and sources, simply aren’t creating much value the brand omnipresent in the face of and their ability to provide immediacy these days. Until they come to the myriad of competing alternative in conveying information.” That value, grips with that issue, no amount sources of news and information. he contends, “has been stripped away of blogging, Twittering, or micro- When their use is more targeted by contemporary communication de- payments is going to solve their on building effective personal rela- velopments.” Here is how he began failing business models.  tionships with readers, listeners and his piece: viewers, they appear to be more useful To read Picard’s article, go to www. for smaller local news organizations. Journalists like to think of their csmonitor.com/2009/0519/p09s02- There, the contacts can be more indi- work in moral or even sacred coop.html. vidual and intimate, and the volume of contact is generally not as overwhelm- ing as for large organizations. There is a clear and growing body behooves all of us, however, to carefully Robert G. Picard is a fellow at the Reu- of evidence that news organizations’ observe and evaluate their develop- ters Institute for the Study of Journal- Web sites produce some benefits from ment and effects. Then, we need to ism at the University of Oxford. He is various activities. Less evidence has use what is learned to gauge whether editor of the Journal of Media Busi- been found to show that social media and how a particular tool provides ness Studies and author of 23 books activities do likewise, especially for real benefit to a news organization or on media economics and management newspapers. It is perhaps too early if it is depleting resources—financial topics. His blog can be found at www. to judge given that experimentation and human—that could be used more themediabusiness.blogspot.com. with social media is in its infancy. It effectively in other ways. 

An Antidote for Web Overload With a hunger for explanatory guidance amid the raging storm of Web news flashes, a journalist stresses context to attract digital users.

BY MATT THOMPSON

or the longest time, whenever I after day I’d fruitlessly comb through tainable only through years of reading read the news, I’ve often felt the the stories for an explanation of their news stories and looking for patterns, depressing sensation of lacking relevance, history or import. Nut grafs accumulating knowledge like so many Fthe background I need to understand seemed to provide only enough infor- cereal box tops I could someday cash the stories that seem truly important. mation for me to realize the story was in for the prize of basic understand- Day after day would bring front pages out of my depth. ing. Meanwhile, though, with the with headlines trumpeting new de- I came to think of following the advancements of the Web and cable velopments out of city hall, and day news as requiring a decoder ring, at- news, the pace of new headlines was

12 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit accelerating—from daily to minute- newsrooms possessed in abundance. Five years prior, in 2002, blogger by-minute—and I had no idea how Yet news organizations never really Dave Winer had made a bet with I’d ever begin to catch up. shared that information in an ac- Nisenholtz that for most of the top In 2008, I encountered a study cessible or engaging form. Instead, five news stories of 2007, blogs would describing others from my generation they cut it up into snippets that they outrank The New York Times on who seemed to share my dilemma. The buried within oodles of inscrutable Google. When Winer and Nisenholtz Associated Press had commissioned news reports. Once in a while, they’d reconvened to settle the bet in 2008, professional anthropologists to track publish an explainer story, aiming to they unearthed a surprise. By the terms and analyze the behavior of a group lay out the bigger picture of a topic. of the bet, Winer had won, but the of young media consumers. Their key But such stories always got sidelined, real news was the site that trounced conclusion: “The subjects were over- quickly hidden in the archives of our both the Times and the blogosphere— loaded with facts and updates and were news sites and forgotten. Wikipedia. having trouble moving more deeply Meanwhile, young news consumers What is it about this site, I won- into the background and resolution like me were flocking to another Web dered, that made it the people’s choice of news stories.”1 site—a place structured around con- not only for news over time, but for The study’s participants seemed to text, but which was quickly becoming real-time news updates as well? Sure, respond to this ever-deepening ocean a go-to destination for news as well. the site’s ability to instantly marshal of news much like I had. We would an army of amateur editors was a big shy away from stories that seemed to The Wikipedia Epiphany part of the story. But there was also require a years-long familiarity with something quite remarkable about the news and incline instead toward In 2007, The New York Times noted how stories are structured on the site, ephemeral stories that didn’t take much that something weird was going on how breaking news gets folded into background to understand—crime with Wikipedia. This “free encyclopedia an elegant, cohesive record, enabling news, sports updates, celebrity gossip. that anyone can edit” had taken on a site visitors to quickly catch up on a This approach gave us plenty to talk function few could have expected an topic without having to sort through about with friends, but I sensed it left encyclopedia to perform. a torrent of disparate articles and us deprived of a broader understand- As Jonathan Dee wrote in The New headlines. ing of a range of important issues that York Times Magazine, “For centuries, If you’re looking for a way to com- affect us without our knowing. an encyclopedia was synonymous with bat information overload, to distill the After years of working in online a fixed, archival idea about the retriev- universe of topics covered by the local newsrooms, though, I had hit upon a ability of information from the past. newspaper into a manageable stream, secret—talking to journalists was like But Wikipedia’s notion of the past has it’s difficult to find a more perfect having the decoder ring without having enlarged to include things that haven’t invention than the format Wikipedia to do the work. If I didn’t understand even stopped happening yet. Increas- has pioneered. a story or why it was important, I ingly, it has become a go-to source But I saw opportunity for journal- could ask a metro editor about it. not just for reference material but for ists to build on Wikipedia’s model to Without fail, she’d lay out the history real-time breaking news—to the point make something even better. While and context in lush narrative detail, where, following the mass murder at Wikipedia does a fairly astonishing often with entertaining depictions of Virginia Tech, one newspaper in Vir- job of laying out topics of national the players involved and fun asides ginia praised Wikipedia as a crucial and international import, it doesn’t with snippets of political trivia. Ten source of detailed information.”2 scale down very well to the level of minutes of conversation with a good The following year Martin Nisen- local news. And hairy, complex stories reporter could unlock the fundamentals holtz, senior vice president of digital such as climate change and health of a beat so thoroughly I’d walk away operations for The New York Times care reform require deft, economical feeling like an expert on the topic. Company, would play a part in reveal- storytelling that Wikipedia’s cacopho- I started to realize that “getting” the ing Wikipedia’s strength not just as a nous editing process is ill-suited to news didn’t require a decoder ring or breaking news source, but as the place provide. years of work. All it took was access to read about a news story long after So in September 2008, I went to to the key pieces of information that the headlines have subsided. the University of Missouri’s Reynolds

1 “A New Model for News: Studying the Deep Structure of Young Adult News Consumption” can be read at www.ap.org/newmodel.pdf. Jim Kennedy, director of strategic planning at The Associated Press, wrote about this study in the Winter 2008 issue of Nieman Reports, www.niemanreports.org. 2 “All the News That’s Fit to Print Out” can be read at www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/ magazine/01WIKIPEDIA-t.html.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 13 Journalism and Social Media

Journalism Institute (RJI) to explore how journalists might start winning at the context game, creating a new model of news to serve a generation of news consumers like me.

Two Experiments

Among the assumptions I wanted to test during my time at RJI was the idea that news consumers really are looking for context rather than merely the latest news. After all, during years of working in online newsrooms, I’d seen plenty of deep, contextual news packages ignored by our site users in favor of weather updates and crime reports. The financial crisis provided an early test of this assumption. At the time, news about the crisis was ubiquitous. All at once, every news organization was unearthing news about a different aspect of the meltdown—the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the role of the Community Reinvestment Act, the status of the bailout plan wending its way through Congress. Amidst all this news, would people With Columbia Tomorrow and The Money Meltdown Web sites, Thompson sought to bring choose context? context to the news by bringing together vital information about development in Columbia, The answer was yes. The break- Missouri on one Web site and the nation’s financial crisis on another. through news item of the year wasn’t an investigation that yielded some hot new scoop, it was a piece of on- to the site on my blog and for the rest boomed over the past two decades, the-record explanatory reporting by of the month spent a few minutes a leaving the city grasping for a plan- “This American Life” and National day maintaining the page. ning model that could more elegantly Public Radio that went wildly viral. That month, more than 50,000 handle its explosive growth. It was the “The Giant Pool of Money” went on unique users visited The Money Melt- type of story that played out in obscure to become the most downloaded epi- down. A small number for a big news headlines about “tax-increment financ- sode in the history of “This American operation, but significant traffic for ing” and “transportation development Life,” garnering the award trifecta of two days of work by a random guy districts”; a good candidate, I thought, a duPont, Peabody and Polk for its with a blog. It was enough traffic, at for a dose of context. producers. Many listeners said they’d least, to suggest that the hunger for I assembled dossiers containing been tuning out all those crisis-related context was real. about eight years of coverage of growth headlines until they heard the episode. The next question I wanted to tackle and development in Columbia by the For them, “The Giant Pool of Money” during my time in Missouri was how city’s two daily newspapers, more than was like a decoder ring for this news journalists might approach the task of 800 pages of news stories. And I read story. And once you heard it, you building news sites structured around through the dossiers page by page on wanted more. the bigger picture rather than the my Kindle, attempting to ferret out But it could have been a fluke, re- latest news. Working with a team of the tropes that came up time and vealing nothing more than a well-told about a dozen reporters and a pair of time again, the arguments the city story’s capacity to ignite. So at the editors from the Missouri School of kept having with itself over the de- beginning of October, I spent two days Journalism, we decided to tackle the cade. With the assistance of Columbia culling the best links I could find laying story of growth and development in Missourian editors Scott Swafford and out different aspects of the crisis into Columbia, Missouri. A college town John Schneller, my team and I worked a spare, simple, one-page site called bordered by rural land in the middle to take all that contextual informa- The Money Meltdown. I posted a link of Missouri, Columbia’s population had tion buried in the stories—the years

14 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit of nut grafs, the forgotten to completely saturate our explainers—and pull them users with information together into an accessible, so they’ll keep clicking. engaging package. Needless to say, this is The outcome of this ef- a resource-intensive en- fort was a Web site called deavor. And with all signs Columbia Tomorrow (www. pointing to fewer resources columbiatomorrow.com). for employing professional Built in WordPress, the journalists, it looks like a site so far contains about losing one. two dozen hierarchically But these experiments arranged topic pages that are prodding us toward attempt to lay out the big- the notion that the real ger picture of growth and value might be found not development in the city, as in publishing more news well as provide a friendly on increasingly less serious introduction to topics like matters, but in distilling storm water runoff. As the news into an ever- new developments emerge, richer contextual record. reporters post about them Instead of just diverting in blog entries that appear us with trivia, the Web on the relevant topic pages, might transform journal- which are updated to reflect ism into something that the latest news. This Web site is at www.themoneymeltdown.com. doesn’t need to be decoded, It’s too early to tell but instead helps us make whether Columbia Tomor- sense of what’s happening row will be a breakaway hit in our world.  with residents of the city. But it does, For years, our assumption has been I think, what I hoped it would do. It that the Web was going to require Matt Thompson, a 2008-2009 Don- points toward the possibility of a new more and more news, that the way to ald W. Reynolds Fellow at the Reyn- direction for news Web sites, one that succeed online was to generate ever olds Journalism Institute, is an online can balance the needs of news junkies more frequent updates and shovel journalist and coauthor of “Epic and casual news consumers alike. up ever more numerous headlines, 2014/2015.” He blogs at Newsless.org.

Digital Media’s Key to Success: Must-Read Content In observing what enables some content creators to draw steady and good-sized audiences, lessons emerge about the common factors that make this happen.

BY BRIAN REICH

eople are willing to pay for con- to inspiring people to pay. there is a lot that can be learned from tent, but only when they find In this environment, some people observing those whose content meets value in it or in the experience of have mastered how to consistently this threshold and does so consistently. Pgaining access to it. With information create must-read content. Even those Figuring out what factors contribute so widely available and accessible, the who succeed, however, attract niche to their success—while acknowledging quality of the content—its depth and (not mass) audiences of people who that there will be ones unique to each breadth and the context it provides— are intensely interested in what they content creator—gives us clues about is what gives it value. In our digital offer. There is little understanding of what can lead to success in this hybrid era, in which “information wants to how to replicate their work, scale it environment of social media and the be free,” much of what is available, larger, or transfer their efforts in a gathering and distribution of news online or otherwise, doesn’t lend itself significant way to other projects. But and information.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 15 Journalism and Social Media

Here is how three people approach are already paying for and what these the value users ascribe to voicing their this challenge: consumer decisions mean to us as a opinions and deciding for themselves society. “We assume right now that how they feel about the news and Robert Scoble, a blogger, author and people are willing to pay zero,” she information. “It’s a conversation, not technologist, believes the best content said. “What is interesting is to explore a lecture,” is how some frame this begins in the community. Responding what they will pay a lot for.” Recently, change. Where the old media now to this belief, he has built and cultivated she featured the TED (Technology, fails is in covering a narrow band of a vast network of people throughout Entertainment, Design) conferences stories and presenting information in the world and routinely tracks and as an example. Directed by TED, a ways that are too similar to how others engages them online.1 Scoble takes a small nonprofit dedicated to “Ideas cover the same story—and doing so look at information flowing in from Worth Spreading,” the events sell out without conveying a strong editorial this network and then promotes on his at a hefty price even though much of voice. Such a voice has differentiated site what he believes will be popular or the content from the conferences— coverage and given audiences a reason interesting. The content he highlights live blogging, video broadcasts—are to seek out this information. has become must-read because it is available for free online. drawn from sources that few other Community is necessary. Bringing people have access to or have taken There are many content creators together people with shared interests the time to share. who’ve carved out niches and created is a necessary ingredient for any suc- highly valued experiences for their au- cessful online venture. No person can Guy Kawasaki, a blogger and entre- dience. Each offers something unique. know everything about an issue or preneur, writes one of the most widely Yet, here are some threads knitting topic, so forming community creates read blogs on the topics of innovation, their efforts together: a collaborative process of informa- startups and technology.2 For him, ag- tion gathering. It brings forth stories, gregation and context are key factors. Understanding your audience is critical. presents a wider range of issues, adds Everything that Kawasaki brings to his How does your potential audience use voices, and the result is more infor- blog pulls from a variety of sources technology to get and share informa- mation. Still, having the community and ideas; his role is to add perspec- tion? What expectations do they have contribute content and perspective tive, insight or knowledge that those about the news and information they’ll does not mean ceding control to the who come to his blog might not get find? These questions and more along mob. Without significant filtering of from consuming the raw information these lines are what define the indi- what comes in, quality will suffer. on their own. In many cases, what he vidual’s media experience at a time Value comes from providing people does is to transform information into when there is more information avail- with the ability to interact and in action. “To add value, what I write has able and more options about where finding ways to spur more and better to help change people’s minds—that’s to go to find it than there is time content in partnership with commu- why I am always looking to deliver to consume it. Answering these key nity members. As the editor in chief ‘the art of ’ or ‘how to’ information,” questions becomes essential. Having of Wired, Chris Anderson explained, he told me. this knowledge contributes to how a “social filtering is the way people will story will be presented; if the potential consume media going forward.” It Virginia Heffernan, who writes The members of an audience no longer also turns out to be the way to create Medium column for The New York read long articles, then explore other content successfully.4 Times Magazine and blogs about ways to tell the story. Knowing this digital content for The New York influences how reporting and content Aggregation is happening. Success Times,3 believes that the best strategy creation takes place from the start. in the digital age revolves around for creating must-read content is to A strong editorial voice and judgment recognizing that just about everything look where others aren’t. “Shine the are valuable: Help in finding the way comes from other places, or at least spotlight over here,” she told me, “when through the overload of information is starts somewhere else. With so many everyone else is shining it over there.” essential—and that’s where judgment sources of content, aggregation can She examines what content people comes into play, while acknowledging bring the best of related content into

1 Scoble blogs at http://scobleizer.com, and his Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/ scobleizer. 2 Kawasaki’s blog, “How to Change the World” is at http://blog.guykawasaki.com, and his Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/Guykawasaki. 3 Heffernan blogs for The New York Times, and her Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/page88. 4 Anderson blogs at www.thelongtail.com, and his Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/ Chr1sA.

16 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit one place; once there, users can gain of Magnify.net, argued that the role of proven way found to bring in money more understanding of a topic they media professionals in the digital era so that news organizations—or other care about and find a community with is in “separating the wheat from the content creators—can sustain their and from whom they can learn more. chaff, assigning editorial weight and— efforts over time. As this financial Still, aggregation requires more than most importantly—giving folks who side of the equation continues to be knowing how to use the tools to make don’t want to spend their lives looking talked about—and experimentation it happen. For news organizations, for for an editorial needle in a haystack a takes place—there is no doubt that example, it means a willingness to high-quality collection of content that must-read content, embedded in a embrace the idea of featuring content is contextual and coherent.” He uses community experience, will be a critical produced by others, being OK with the word “curation,” but stewardship element for all who achieve success. others featuring what they’ve produced, seems more appropriate. Beyond the People will pay for content in which and devoting newsroom resources to responsibility of culling good content they find value. News reporting and guide the process so this becomes a lies the commitment to growing the other ubiquitous information does not value-added experience for their audi- relationship with the people in the seem to meet that standard. When it ence. As Scoble put it: “You have to stop audience. The possibility exists for reaches the level of must-read con- thinking about being the person who audience members to feel valued and tent, the rest will fall into place more defines what is important all on your to provide them with ways that they easily.  own. No one person can do it all, but find value in what you offer. Being a if you are tapping into the expertise good steward will reap the reward of Brian Reich is the managing direc- of many different sources, and mak- loyalty, and along with that can come tor of little m media, which provides ing connections deep into issues, you revenue since strong relationships organizations with strategic guidance will be able to build something that make audience members want to buy about the Internet and technology. He is really good. The real skill is being or recruit friends to join them. is the author of “Media Rules!: Mas- able to make those connections.” tering Today’s Technology to Connect It’s always been this way—that With and Keep Your Audience,” pub- Good stewardship reaps rewards. In content is key to the success of media lished by John Wiley & Sons in 2007. an article entitled “Can ‘Curation’ Save companies. This has not changed in Follow him at http://twitter.com/ Media?”5 Steve Rosenbaum, the CEO the digital age. Yet, there’s been no brianreich.

5 Rosenbaum’s article can be read at www.businessinsider.com/can-curation-save- media-2009-4.

Dealing With Disruption As digital media gets ‘better, faster and cheaper. … [there is] little time for long- established human institutions like journalism to adapt.’

BY JON PALFREMAN

eems simple enough: Click on a through air—to reach your computer in cloud among many that threatened link to read this article online. But San Francisco, New York or London, journalism’s future. In a special 1999 behind the scenes, matters are where the packets are reassembled edition of Nieman Reports on the Smore complicated. Your click doesn’t and displayed as text. future of journalism, “The Business connect to the Nieman Foundation’s Dozens of machines are involved in of News, The News About Business,” offices in Cambridge. In fact, the every online mouse click, executed so there is only one reference to the In- computer servers with this and other quickly that you’re completely unaware ternet. Lou Ureneck, now chairman of Nieman Reports articles aren’t even in of them. Perhaps you think you don’t the journalism department at Boston Massachusetts; they are in Arizona. care, but I hope my words will convince University, perceptively warned that The click breaks up tiny data packets you otherwise. the Internet “threatens the pot of gold that then travel across the Internet by Ten years ago, Nieman Reports was at the back of newspapers—the clas- different routes—down copper wires, essentially a print-only magazine. The sifieds.” He was right. The Internet has along fibers of optically pure glass, and Internet was seen as just one storm not only disrupted the business and

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 17 Journalism and Social Media

practice of journalism, it has changed The relentless exponential im- to reliably anticipate journalism’s tra- our world in fundamental ways. provement of digital technology is jectory, so let’s look instead at where Today, American business and gov- historically unique. Most technologies the technological infrastructure of the ernment conduct virtually all of their develop bounded by physical con- Internet is headed. transactions via the Web. According straints. There are limits, for example, An interesting and potentially dis- to the Pew Research Center’s Internet to how fast planes will travel (without ruptive trend is “cloud computing.” A & American Life Project, 74 percent burning up), or how high buildings decade or so ago, companies needed of Americans use the Internet, and can be built (without falling down), to set up dedicated IT departments use it to accomplish a growing list and these physical boundaries act as with their own data storage. Not of tasks. Along the way we interact a brake on progress, brakes that give any more. Today, Google, Microsoft, with numerous dot-com enterprises: human beings a chance to adapt. But Yahoo!, Amazon and others offer from Web mail services like Gmail, an alternative: They’re building Hotmail or Yahoo!, to data storage and operating vast Internet data services like Box.net, IDrive, iDisk centers offering data processing and Mozy. We upload pictures to as a utility to anyone. In “cloud Flickr, SmugMug and Photobucket, If cloud computing takes off, computing” the data, processing edit videos with Avid, Final Cut changes in the next decade could power, and software are stored in Pro and JayCut, upload our cre- the Internet cloud rather than on ations to YouTube and Vimeo, eclipse those of the last in the user’s computer. buy and sell items on Craigslist The physical demands of run- and eBay, exchange multimedia making it easy, in principle, ning cloud computing are sig- messages through MySpace and for a tiny operation nificant: They include the con- Facebook, talk to each other on struction of a series of gigantic Twitter, compose documents with to use the same advanced IT air-conditioned Internet temples— Google Docs, crunch spreadsheets “server farms” that house racks with Zoho, aggregate news with as a large company. and racks of computer servers. Bloglines and Google Reader, and And powering these farms puts even manage projects in Base- environmental concerns into the camp. Most of these companies mix of this technological advance. didn’t exist in 1999. Google, founded digital technology, which involves bits Microsoft opened a server farm in in 1998, has become one of the most of information, not lumps of matter, is Quincy, Washington, in 2007; it is powerful and influential corporations different. It just keeps getting better, larger than 10 football fields. Google’s on the globe. faster and cheaper. server farm in The Dalles, Oregon, is It’s exciting but very disruptive. It almost as big. Apple is building one in Accelerated Change enables new companies like Google North Carolina. According to McKin- to emerge, grow rapidly and change sey & Company, Internet data centers How has so much change happened the world, with little time for long- house around 44 million computers— so rapidly? Part of the answer can be established human institutions like machines that enable users to rent found in the workings of the underly- journalism to adapt. It follows that cars, buy books, communicate via ing digital technology that so few of unless digital technology runs into social media with friends, and upload us bother to understand. Its ascent some kind of major obstacle, the world videos to Facebook or YouTube. On is unlike any in history. The IBM PC of 2019—by which time Ludtke’s “com- these 44 million machines everything on Nieman Reports’ Editor Melissa puter” will be some 1,000 times more from Wikipedia entries to YouTube Ludtke’s desk today is 30 or 40 times powerful than her 1999 machine—will videos is physically stored, and it’s more powerful than the Gateway com- again be turned upside down, raising where Facebook’s 250 million users puter she had in 1999. This spectacular new transformative opportunities by keep more than 15 billion photos of improvement conforms to Moore’s Law, enabling new digital ventures to share themselves and their friends. named after Intel founder Gordon the stage with the powerhouses like Almost everything needed to run a Moore, who sagely predicted in 1965 Google and Amazon—or perhaps to business can be outsourced to the cloud, that roughly every two years, electronic push them aside. where, the argument goes, professional components would get twice as small, data processing companies can usu- twice as fast, and consume half as much Cloud Computing ally do it better and more cheaply. If electricity. He was right. If Ludtke’s cloud computing takes off, changes in car had realized the same efficiency What happens with journalism? the next decade could eclipse those of gains, her car that got 20 miles per Newspaper editors, producers, journal- the last in making it easy, in principle, gallon in 1999 would be getting 640 ism professors, and even new media for a tiny operation to use the same miles for every gallon today. gurus, given their record, aren’t likely advanced IT as a large company. New

18 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Finding a Good Fit or expanding companies won’t need option is one news organizations will documents might not have the same to make a huge capital investment in likely consider. But doing this is not Fourth Amendment protections from information technology when they can problem free: There are a series of unreasonable government search and buy processing by the bit, scaling up environmental, financial, security, legal seizure as data stored on a personal slowly or, if they need to, rapidly. and privacy problems that will need computer. Take, for example, the New York- to be resolved along the way. based new media company, Animoto, While troubling, the odds are that a service that turns customer supplied Energy and environmental concerns: such knotty issues can be worked out images and music into Web-based A lot of energy is required to run the and digital technology can be expected video presentations. In 2008, Animoto Internet cloud. According to Stanford to continue its relentless and disrup- found that demand was skyrocketing; University’s Jonathan Koomey, Inter- tive advance. This raises a broader reportedly 750,000 people signed up net data centers use about two percent question: Will there ever be a pause in a three-day period. Instead of buy- of our nation’s electricity, and usage to give us time to adapt? ing new servers, Animoto contracted is increasing at about 15 percent a Perhaps, around 2019. That’s about with Amazon’s new computing service, year. Growth in Internet use is thus when Gordon Moore thinks his law Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), to add overwhelming the efficiency gains of might fail. The transistors, the switches capacity for about 10 cents per server Moore’s Law and generating a signifi- that are the basis of modern computer per hour, absorbing the huge spike in cant and growing carbon footprint. hardware, can’t in theory keep on get- demand. When demand dropped, ting smaller indefinitely. When the Animoto was able to scale down transistor’s “gate,” which controls easily. the flow of electrons, becomes too If cloud computing is the next small—fewer than five nanometers big thing, then why isn’t the news If cloud computing is the next big (five billionths of a meter)—then media sticking its head in the thing, then why isn’t the news media the transistor may no longer func- cloud? So far there are only a few tion as an effective switch and the examples, including these: sticking its head in the cloud? game will be up. Until, of course, scientists and engineers invent • In late 2007, The New York something new. Times decided to make its So by 2019, or thereabouts, archive of back issues—11 when Nieman Reports reflects million articles covering the period Financial: Rising energy and environ- on the state of the news media, we 1851-1922—more available to users. mental costs also reinforce worries that might have a chance to take a breath Rather than loading the articles onto some dot-coms are not properly mon- and consider the distance we’ve trav- their servers, the Times outsourced etized. According to a report by Credit eled and ponder the road ahead. Until the job; now this archive is stored Suisse, YouTube is losing money for its then, expect new cloud computing on Amazon servers somewhere in owner Google at a rapid pace—roughly dot-coms to further change our media the United States. $470 million in 2009 or more than a landscape. The journalist’s hope is that • Telegraph Media Group (TMG) in dollar for every YouTube click. among the next decade’s big winners the United Kingdom, publisher of will be some dot-coms (or dot-orgs) The Daily Telegraph and The Sun- Security: Servers holding such data that have pioneered sustainable busi- day Telegraph, has gone further and could experience power outages or ness models for reporting and com- made arrangements with several get attacked by hackers. Or the cloud municating news.  cloud providers. Google provides provider could go bankrupt. Already TMG’s 1,400 employees with the there have been a few embarrassing Jon Palfreman, a 2006 Nieman Fel- Google Apps platform, a suite of incidents: Google Docs users were low, is KEZI Distinguished Professor communication and document ap- shut out of their online word proces- of Broadcast Journalism at the Uni- plications. TMG also outsources sor documents for about an hour on versity of Oregon. A veteran of both customer management activities July 8, 2008, and Amazon customers U.K. and U.S. television, he has made such as subscription services and (including The New York Times) lost more than 40 BBC and PBS one-hour advertising sales to a cloud provider access to data for a few hours on July documentaries including the Peabody called Salesforce.com. 20, 2008 following a power outage. Award-winning series the “Machine That Changed the World,” the Emmy Nieman Reports, like others, out- Privacy: Lawyers have also raised the Award-winning NOVA “Siamese sources to distant computer servers, possibility that if an organization, such Twins,” and the Alfred I. duPont- as does the Nieman Journalism Lab, as a newspaper or university, stores Columbia University Silver Baton- which uses a provider in Pittsburgh. its records online on a third party’s winner, “Harvest of Fear.” With big potential cost savings, this server (e-mails, for example) those

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 19 BUILDING COMMUNITY | Journalists’ New Journey What’s Old Can Be New Again—Assisted By Digital Media ‘It’s not a digital update of the newspaper, but it is a digital update of the community connection role I first learned about as a child in Shenandoah.’

BY STEVE BUTTRY

hen I started in the newspa- editions of the Des Moines Tribune in Digital Attempts per business as a high school 1982 and the Kansas City Times in student in a small Iowa town 1990. While I did manage to do lots I encountered the prospect of a news- Win the early 1970s, our paper was as paper’s digital delivery of information social as media got. The Shenandoah before I heard of the Internet. A few Evening Sentinel ran short items proprietary services—America Online, we called “locals,” submitted by area Prodigy and CompuServe—were offer- busybodies, telling who was visiting ing digital news to early adopters who whom, who was ill and who had just had computer modems—all dial-up, of returned from vacation. Unlike most course. I was pondering such a pur- tweeps today, our locals actually an- chase myself. As an assistant managing swered Twitter’s question, “What are editor at The Kansas City Star, I at- you doing?” tended meetings about a project called I didn’t care much about that since I StarText. We were going to provide wanted to launch my career as an inves- newspaper stories (text only) by modem tigative reporter. But I did connect with the night before their publication to the community through that social me- subscribers of the service. I suggested dia newspaper. I first encountered my that we sell and install modems and future wife when she called to criticize show people how to use them, just as my prediction about a high school cable companies provided the equip- football game. (I was right.) During ment needed to access their service. the next few years the Sentinel told My suggestion didn’t take root. Like people in and around Shenandoah most other newspaper managers, my about our graduations, engagement, peers and bosses at the Star thought wedding, the birth of our first son, we were in the newspaper business. and eventually the deaths of my father While they were trying earnestly to and Mimi’s parents. The newspaper innovate and dive into the digital connected our community like nothing stream, they failed to realize that we else. You couldn’t imagine Shenandoah were really in the community connec- without the Sentinel. tion business. With our children grown, Mimi In the 1970’s Buttry’s local newspaper, The I saw a more discouraging view of and I get most of our news from Shenandoah Evening Sentinel, published the mindset of newspaper companies links on Twitter and send our love the announcement of his and his future when I was at the Omaha World- and honey-do’s by txt msg while the wife’s engagement. Herald in the mid-1990’s. The publisher local newspaper, The Gazette in Ce- dismissed the fledgling Internet as a dar Rapids, Iowa, which provides my fad and our company was slow to go paycheck, piles up in the recycling bin, of investigative journalism, I noticed online and we didn’t pursue any serious mostly unread. early that newspapers have essentially innovation. When I left in 1998, I still The Sentinel died in the 1990’s, been dying my whole career. So don’t didn’t have e-mail or Web access from about a decade after the newspaper count me among those who blame my desk. Most reporters still didn’t I carried as a youth in Ohio, the Co- the current turmoil in the newspaper when I returned two years later, but lumbus Citizen-Journal, published its business on Google, Facebook, Twitter I negotiated to be one of the first. final edition. I was present for the final or some other digital demon. When I worked at the American

20 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

Press Institute (API) from 2005 to company adventurous enough to give launched and led a series of BarCamp 2008, I became heavily involved in my Complete Community Connection NewsInnovation conferences around the Newspaper Next project, focused plan a try. At this time, I was also the country. on helping newspaper companies de- jumping into social media, first with But the disaster delayed us from velop business models for the digital Flickr and LinkedIn, then Facebook. the crucial work of transforming our age. Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Twitter really showed me how social business model. On top of the na- business professor who has studied media were revolutionizing how the tional economic slowdown and the innovation in dozens of industries, world connected. With brief comments, economic challenges facing the rest partnered with API on the project. I questions and links, I communicate of the industry, our community is had seen the newspaper companies daily with thousands of people, be- reeling from a crisis that damaged or I worked for as an employee and coming so familiar with many that destroyed a thousand businesses. We consultant make all of the errors that when we actually “tweetup,” we greet had to join the wave of newspaper Christensen said established compa- one another like old friends. companies cutting staffs. But, unlike nies typically make when faced with My business model and my enthu- most of our shrinking peers, our ex- the threat or opportunity of disruptive siasm for social media appealed to ecutives faced the music the next day innovation. in a live chat. We ignored competi- In April, I published tors because we didn’t my vision for the new think their product or business model on my service was good enough blog, calling it “A Blue- to worry about. print for the Complete We crammed our Community Connec- existing model into new tion.” 2 I’m now “C3 technology rather than Coach” at Gazette Com- imagining and exploring munications, trying to the possibilities. turn the vision into fact. We bogged innova- Bloggers and tweeps tion down in the culture responded positively of our hidebound orga- to the blueprint, and nizations. it earned me a seat at As I taught the prin- the Poynter Institute’s ciples of innovation in Big Ideas Conference Newspaper Next, I saw in July. newspaper companies Though Buttry doesn’t know of a newspaper Web site that handles engage- It’s not a digital up- respond with limited, ment announcements and weddings in the way he envisioned in his Com- date of the newspaper, narrow projects that plete Community Connection blueprint, StlToday.com, the Web site of the but it is a digital up- barely, if at all, changed St. Louis Post-Dispatch, uses digital tools to gather and share this news. date of the community their cultures or their connection role I first business models. learned about as a child the executives of Gazette Communi- in Shenandoah. Yes, the model includes Connecting the Community cations, and I arrived in Cedar Rapids, professional journalists who will use Iowa to start as editor last June 10th. digital tools to tell the community’s big I began to develop my own ideas to Two days later, our nation’s worst di- news in new ways. More important, use digital tools to do some of the jobs saster since Hurricane Katrina struck we will provide the platform where the that were essential to connecting the my new home. Our staff has covered community will tell those big stories community when I was cutting my the flood and its recovery with a wide in people’s lives that connect the com- teeth at the Evening Sentinel. I wrote range of digital tools—interactive munity in important and meaningful my first drafts of a vision for a new maps and databases, social media, ways—stories of graduation, engage- business model. When API decided video, multimedia, liveblogging.1 We ment, birth and death, and who’s visit- not to use my work for the second are recognized as industry pioneers ing whom and who’s in the hospital. Newspaper Next report in early 2008, in the use of liveblogging and Twitter. (Many days, my biggest news now I started looking for a newspaper Our digital editor, Jason Kristufek, arrives from CaringBridge, a custom-

1 See ongoing flood coverage at www.gazetteonline.com/section/flood. 2 “A Blueprint for the Complete Community Connection” is at http://stevebuttry. wordpress.com/2009/04/27/a-blueprint-for-the-complete-community-connection.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 21 Journalism and Social Media

ized Web site where my brother-in-law ways to target the customers they a culture focused on producing our updates friends and family around the want; when a high school graduate newspaper, television broadcasts, and world on my nephew’s recovery from fills in “University of Iowa” for his news Web sites. I’m going to have a bone-marrow transplant.) college choice in our Class of 2010 to pursue this as persistently as any Just as important, C3 calls for us to site, ads for campus-area restaurants investigative story I ever worked, with move beyond the collapsing advertis- and bookstores should appear, offer- the same commitment to reaching the ing and subscription revenue model. ing opportunities for grandparents to goal, whatever the obstacles.  Many of those community moments buy gift cards. described above are occasions for I wish I could boast of C3 accom- Steve Buttry is C3 coach at Gazette sending a gift or flowers. We need to plishments and not just the vision. Like Communications. He can be followed enable businesses to conduct those many others, our company has spent at http://twitter.com/stevebuttry or on transactions and many more through more time and energy on reorganiza- his blog, http://stevebuttry.wordpress. C3 using credit or debit cards. We tion than on true innovation. I get com. need to connect businesses with frustrated at the pace of transforming

Inviting the Rise of the Entrepreneurial Journalist True/Slant is modeling the newsroom of the future by empowering contributors to build their own digital brands—and by changing the role of the editor.

BY LEWIS DVORKIN

love the newsroom, both in real Today, the once invincible media elite life and the movies. I remember appear paralyzed, left sheepishly to my wire service days, ripping copy ask, “Who’s going to produce the news Iline by line from a manual typewriter if we don’t?” to get it quickly to the slot man. I Well, everyone is—old brands, new spent many exhilarating nights at brands, Twitter, Flickr, anyone with a The New York Times, Newsweek digital device. and The Wall Street Journal editing Media extinction comes slowly. breaking stories on deadline. And Newspapers and magazines, television nothing was crazier than my stint and radio news are here for years to in a tabloid TV newsroom. come. But innovative, ambitious orga- An original “one sheet” movie nizations will emerge with vastly differ- poster of “All the President’s Men’’ ent concepts for lower-cost newsrooms hangs in my office. To this day, the and content generation. They will final scene in The Washington Post dramatically redefine long-standing newsroom makes me quiver. With relationships between content creators, power, authority and trust, a Tele- the audience—and marketers, too. To type machine swiftly bangs out, one engage passionate news consumers, keystroke at a time: “Nixon Resigns. news operations must unite the values Gerald Ford to become 38th Presi- and standards of journalism with the dent at noon today.” dynamics of the Web and the connec- All those glorious newsroom tive power of social media. days are gone—forever. The rapid transition to a digital news world Editing Talent, Not Words challenges every journalistic struc- ture, process and delivery system True/Slant, an original content news that served the public interest so network, is building the “newsroom of News of the moment, contributor perspec- well for so long. Bold ideas for news the future.” There are two key com- tive, and social media come together on the organizations once came from Henry ponents: individually branded content True/Slant homepage. Luce, Bill Paley, and Ted Turner. contributors, all linked to one another

22 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community but really working for themselves, and editors who focus on editing talent, not copy. The result: a news experience and publishing environ- ment shared with the audience that upends both traditional journalism models and more recent digital news experiments. At its core, the True/Slant news expe- rience is built on knowledge, transpar- ency, authenticity and intimacy. These attributes are vital in a news world that appears split in half: traditional brands on one side, struggling with notions of objectivity and monolithic voice, and upstart digital entrants on the other, careening toward passion-fueled bias in the spirit of openness. True/Slant is honest about its adherence both to truth and slant. It’s a place for diverse multiple viewpoints and for marketers to engage in new ways with passionate news consumers. It all begins with consumers trying to cope with the flood of news—and confused by whom and what to trust. True/Slant believes consumers want their news created and filtered by credible individuals with topic-specific knowledge. They want a freeflowing As an entrepreneurial journalist, True/Slant contributor Elie Mystal publishes under his news stream, untouched by top-down own name and brand. He, along with almost 200 other True/Slant contributors, uses social editorial decision-making. They want a media to help build an audience around his specific area of expertise. chance to be heard directly alongside those bringing them the news. expertise to his True/Slant audience. choice. True/Slant holds no exclusivity Enter the entrepreneurial journalist. F. Paul Wilson, a best-selling author in what they do. In fact, our model These are credible content contributors and physician, examines scientific and is built on the idea that an entrepre- who provide information, perspective health-care myths for his followers. neurial journalist has a multifaceted and insight on targeted news topics. Ryan Sager, a newspaper columnist, career. O’Brien writes and produces At True/Slant, this person can be a explores neuroscience. Jennifer Kirk, a video for other Web sites; Wilson journalist, blogger, author, expert or former World Junior Champion figure writes books and treats patients; Sager academic, and each is carefully se- skater, exposes the inner workings of writes a New York Post column; Kirk lected by our newsroom’s editors, who that elite sport. is a student at UCLA. discuss ideas and work with them to True/Slant has nearly 200 contribu- market their content across the Web tors. Rather than a static employer/ Creating a Digital Home using custom-designed “playbooks.” worker model, True/Slant contributors Our newsroom is not a journalism can determine the financial arrange- On True/Slant, contributors anchor, bureaucracy that assigns stories, line ment that best suits them. Options consolidate and build their digital edits, copyedits or acts as a gatekeeper. include monthly stipends and incentive home. Social media is one of its corner- True/Slant editors are facilitators, not plans based on audience growth for stones. From this home, they produce gatekeepers. Free to publish informa- their content. Some contributors have original content on True/Slant, but they tion as they see fit, entrepreneurial been granted equity in True/Slant. also promote and link to work they journalists write for the audience, In effect, each contributor is a brand do elsewhere via the easy-to-use self- not the editor. Their flow of content of one, with a unique voice, strong publishing and social media tools that is timely, transparent, expert and perspective, and an audience drawn we provide. They blend their perspec- passionate. to what they publish. As the owners tive and reporting with content they Miles O’Brien, a former CNN an- of their brand, they can act as CEO, curate—creating links to online words chor, brings his aviation and space publisher or content creator. It’s their and video—and with commentary they

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 23 Journalism and Social Media

content, and new user effective ways to engage with news comments. audiences. Yes, advertisers can buy The True/Slant news display advertising on True/Slant, but user and the contributor marketers can also speak with True/ form a bond through Slant consumers through the T/S Ad social media. Contribu- Slant. With this option, a marketer can tor content is followed, publish content to their own page using accepted, rejected and the same tools as contributors. Clearly corrected by the audi- labeled as advertising, this content is ence. Those who write contextually integrated throughout the for True/Slant share site, enabling marketers to participate their daily news con- in news related to them and the so- sumption with their cial news conversation. All along the audience, and they way, the integrity of the news process manage conversations remains intact. and market themselves For me, True/Slant is an idea 35 virally online through years in the making. I do miss those Twitter, Facebook, red- newsrooms with all the grizzled jour- dit, Digg and ties they nalists who loved what they did and have with blogs and who taught me so much. But news Web sites. can now be so much more than it On our site, con- was. True/Slant brings fresh thinking tributor and audience- to an industry that is reeling. I can’t True/Slant provides a continuous live stream of activity generated content is imagine anything more exciting than across the network, blending new posts, contributor com- commingled, enabling helping lead the news business into ments, called-out user comments, and active conversations. contributors and users the future.  to interact within a network—a sort of news Lewis DVorkin is the founder and CEO encourage their audience to produce. democracy—that encourages cross- of True/Slant. He was a senior vice And because entrepreneurial journal- talk among contributors and readers president at America Online in charge ists need to understand their audience and participation across contributor of news, sports and network program- and their business, when they log on communities. ming and helped launch TMZ.com. He to our platform they get important This type of collaborative dialogue held top editing positions at The New real-time data: unique visitors, page opens the door to unique opportuni- York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street views, blogs and sites pointing to their ties for advertisers looking for more Journal, and Forbes.

Ours, Theirs and the Bloggers’ Zones: Compatible, Yet Different Over the years, creating community on the Telegraph’s Web site has come to mean a lot more than someone leaving a comment at the bottom of an article.

BY SHANE RICHMOND

n an episode of the 1980’s BBC Guardian is read by people who think nancial Times is read by people who comedy series “Yes, Prime Minister,” they ought to run the country; The own the country; The Morning Star is Jim Hacker described the read- [London] Times is read by the people read by people who think the country Iers of Britain’s various newspapers: who actually do run the country; The ought to be run by another country; “The Daily Mirror is read by people Daily Mail is read by the wives of the and The Daily Telegraph is read by who think they run the country; The people who run the country; The Fi- people who think it is.”

24 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

His cabinet secretary asks: “Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?” Before the prime min- ister can answer, his private secretary, Bernard, chips in: “Sun readers don’t care who runs the country, as long as she’s got big tits.” Though played for laughs, Britons will hear a ring of truth in Hacker’s analysis. In Britain, the newspaper people read can say a lot about their political views, social class, and back- ground. Describing someone as a Sun reader implies certain things about them that are very different from the assumptions one would make about a Mail reader or a Guardian reader. Those distinctions are becoming blurred online. The habit of reading a single newspaper was largely formed by practical concerns: It’s expensive to buy more than one, and they must be carried around with you. On the Web, someone can read several newspapers, and we know that plenty of people With this content management system, editors review user comments at My Telegraph do, dipping in and out of different after they are posted when users complain. Image courtesy of The Daily Telegraph. ones through the day. If they prefer the political coverage of the Guardian, the sports coverage of the Telegraph, what we do online could be crucial to mail us their opinions. Back then, we and the financial coverage of The our success in an increasingly tough didn’t have comment boxes. Once we (London) Times, they can now read environment for news organizations. had the ability to add them, we did so all three without having to buy them They are the people who will, for ex- at the end of all of our opinion pieces or carry them around. ample, join Clued Up, our crossword and to selected news stories. This fragmentation has increased site, play fantasy football, and will Readers embraced the new tools as news aggregators, such as Google perhaps subscribe to future niche with enthusiasm. Yet, in the newsroom News, make it possible for readers to services. the cultural shift was relatively small. click straight through to the story level. What the Telegraph needs to do is Most journalists knew of the trend for Often, after reading this one article, make certain these loyal readers have inviting reader comments to stories. the person moves on. Therefore, in a easy access to the tools that will enable And while they didn’t see the harm short space of time we’ve moved from them to participate on our site. Of in letting readers join in, they weren’t audiences gathering at title level to course, community tools are becoming sure of the value of reader comments, audiences gathering at section level more common on other newspaper and they certainly weren’t about to and now to them gathering at story Web sites, and social media are part start replying. level. of the Web landscape for everyone Soon the Telegraph was receiving online, so if we want our new visitors hundreds of comments each day, then Engaging Readers Online to be regulars they’ll need to find these thousands and, when that happened, tools here, too, and an environment we had to think about moderation. In Audiences are booming at the Tele- that welcomes them. handling a couple dozen reader e-mails graph, as 27 million unique users came Five years ago there were few places each day, it was relatively simple to to the Web site in June. Within this for readers to contribute to our Web take a look and decide whether they vast audience still lurks our newspa- site. Indeed, apart from the letters were appropriate for publication. Now, per’s original community—made up page, they had few places to share their doing so has become a full-time job. of people who we’d identify, and who opinions with us, even in print. So we For the most part, this change has would proudly identify themselves, began this ongoing conversation with been a good thing because this kind as being Telegraph readers. They are them by soliciting opinions on the big of attention and focus allowed us enormously important to us, and en- issue of the day. To do this, we’d write to develop expertise in moderating suring that they become engaged with a brief article and ask readers to e- reader comments. It also helped a

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 25 Journalism and Social Media

small group of us get to know some We heard a common question from the site. Blogs and My Telegraph are of our readers better. The downside other news organizations, media ob- postmoderated, though readers must of this approach was that it also kept servers, and bloggers about one aspect be registered to comment. journalists at arm’s length from com- of our site: “Why would anyone want Free speech is important to the ments on their articles; this meant a blog with the Telegraph?” We knew Telegraph’s readers so we tried to that it remained an option for them that plenty of Telegraph readers wanted reflect that in our moderation policy. to engage with readers. to identify themselves as such, and We’re careful to remove material that At the same time, journalist partici- they would see value in having their runs afoul of Britain’s racial and re- pation was growing on the Telegraph’s words appear on the Telegraph’s Web ligious hatred laws, and we have to blogs, and our best writers quickly site. But the important point was not be careful about libelous material. In realized that blogging works best as a that we were giving them a blog; we premoderation this is relatively simple conversation. With articles and com- were giving them an audience. Of ,but in postmoderation we rely on our mentary, however, journalists seldom course, they could create a blog with readers to bring inappropriate mate- engaged with commenters. Still, in this WordPress or Blogger but they’d then rial to our attention. Only then does early stage, our plan was targeted to spend months building an audience. a moderator review a comment. increasing reader participation. With us, they could get a dozen com- Our journalists are learning to en- ments from fellow readers within gage. This effort has been helped by the My Telegraph minutes of writing their first post. And growth of online social networks. With the comments almost certainly would our journalists now using Facebook, By early 2007, we had created a very come from like-minded people. Digg and Twitter, each of which is an active community of commenters in The community on My Telegraph increasingly important source of traf- certain areas of the site. Now we de- came together very quickly, and soon fic, and being familiar with YouTube cided to go further. We noticed that the site offered us new ways to con- and Flickr, engagement doesn’t seem many readers shared a common out- nect with our readers. One reader as strange to them as it did a few look as they expressed their feelings wrote about his two daughters who years ago. Still, it is important they that the country had been led in the were killed in a car accident by a have guidance. wrong direction by the Labour Party, drunk driver. The case was in court, Our advice to our journalists is which has governed Britain since and a story that would have run in to “play the ball, not the man” when 1997. Crucially, many of our readers/ brief, if at all, was expanded to half joining comments. By all means say commenters felt that very few people a page including excerpts from the someone’s argument is idiotic, but shared their views. Yet, we could see father’s blog. When Islamist terrorists don’t call them an idiot. Engage with by monitoring their comments across attempted to bomb London, we asked constructive comments, even when the Web site that, in fact, many people one My Telegraph blogger, a Muslim, they are negative, and ignore those shared this view. We saw in this mo- to expand on a post that she had writ- who are being abusive or trying to ment the opportunity to help them ten denouncing the attacks as being derail debate. Of course some writers, connect to one another. against the teachings of Islam. Her and some readers, disregard those We did this by inviting some of piece then ran in the newspaper. rules entirely and seem to enjoy it our regular commenters to come to Very soon it became clear to us that when comment threads turn into an the Telegraph offices for a tour and to My Telegraph members saw the site anything-goes fight. That can work, meet some of our journalists. While as theirs. Quick to point out faults, too, as long as everyone understands they were there, we invited them to they were equally happy to suggest the rules. become beta testers on a new com- improvements. We now realize there There’s still plenty more to do. munity site we were building called are three spaces on the Telegraph’s This year, having already relaunched My Telegraph. By working with these Web site: ours—where comments on our blog platform, we plan to release community members and others, we articles reside, theirs—My Telegraph, a new comment tool and refresh My were able to build the site very quickly, and the bloggers’—our blogs. Know- Telegraph. We’ve been doing this for dropping features that users didn’t ing this, we try to operate the site a long time now, so we feel like we like and building new ones based on accordingly. know our readers pretty well. But the their feedback. My Telegraph (http:// social media landscape has changed my.telegraph.co.uk) was completed Our Telegraph a lot in the past few years—and con- in 17 working days and went live in tinues to change at a rapid pace—so May 2007. Thousands quickly signed At the moment, comments on the we’re eager to collaborate with our up. Its home page was redesigned to Telegraph’s areas of the site are pre- readers in building new community cope with the quantity of content, moderated, meaning that a moderator tools.  some features were dropped, and reviews them before they are pub- new experiments, such as a mini-RSS lished. However, readers can post their Shane Richmond is the communica- reader, were tried. comments without registering with tions editor at The Daily Telegraph.

26 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

AN ESSAY IN WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

A Photographer’s Journey: From Newspapers to Social Media

BY JIM MACMILLAN

A Philadelphia Phillies’ fan celebrates on South Broad Street after his team won the World Series in October 2008. Within 24 hours, MacMillan’s blog showing photos from the celebration had 35,000 page views.

t used to be so simple: Whether I my photos—in the next day’s paper. entrepreneurial, economically sustain- needed to make my way through I spent the better part of 17 years able, all-platform, multimedia, visual a police roadblock or explain to with the Philadelphia Daily News as journalist, educator and consultant— Icurious neighbors why I was taking a staff photographer and, eventually, and it wasn’t entirely a joke. I was all pictures on their block, barking just the newsroom’s first video journalist. of those and none of those, depending two words usually did the trick: “Daily Then, 10 months after taking a buyout, upon the challenges of each day. News!” In one breath, the transaction I found myself unable to respond to was complete. I had told them some- a local deli clerk’s simple question: Schooled in Social Media thing about the authority behind my “What do you do for a living?” presence, and at the same time let My Web site described me as a back- My professional identity began to splin- them know exactly where they’d find packing, independent, live-blogging, ter in 2007 when I began producing

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 27 Journalism and Social Media

video news reports and found myself I still wanted to do this kind of Street Station in Philadelphia, news struggling to explain where anybody work—communicating information choppers had been grounded for se- could find my work. The steps to that matters. And as I launched my curity purposes. I feel almost certain locating it were these: own blog, I gradually came to under- that my iPhone TwitPics were the stand that I’d always be a journalist, first photos available anywhere. • Send everybody to the Philadelphia whether or not I carried an employer’s newspapers’ Web site, philly.com. credentials. All I needed were three So where do these eyeballs come • Steer them to the Daily News tab. things: content, an audience, and from? In conversations I had with • Direct them to the “Watch This” revenue. bloggers they shared with me strategies section, then the “More Multimedia” I looked for guidance. At the Online about audience-building and schooled link. News Association meeting near Wash- me in the importance of creating and • Instruct them to read through a ington last fall, I heard Jeff Jarvis maintaining conversations with the text list of content and click on my describe his entrepreneurial journalism online community. By Christmas I report. course at the City University of New had about 3,000 Twitter followers; in York. Then, as my friend George Mil- July I was up to more than 50,000, My video news report would play ler prepared to teach a similar course and with tweets I was driving them to right after a commercial for new cars or at Temple University, I watched him my blog and to newspaper sites where health insurance, both of which often develop the curriculum. And I made content originated. There were many were juxtaposed uncomfortably with a return visit to Blog World Expo. days when I had 2,000 page views the breaking news I often covered. On my blog, I wrote some analy- on my blog. Needless to say, my videos weren’t tical posts about social media and its getting a lot of clicks. And my Web impact on the coverage of breaking Building Connections surfing habits led me to believe there news, especially during the plane had to be a better way to get my con- crashes in Buffalo, New York, and Now, I had to figure out how to tent seen, so—with no training money in the Hudson River off Manhattan; monetize my work. I learned about in the newsroom’s budget—I laid out the swine flu panic, and the infamous cost-per-impression, cost-per-click my own cash and burned some comp Air Force One fly-over photo op over and cost-per-action advertising, and time to go to Las Vegas for my first Lower Manhattan. I posted—and opened numerous affiliate accounts. Blog World Expo. And I promptly marketed—my photos and videos of I was still making lunch money, but got schooled in the basics of online election night celebrations and holiday by July, I was approaching the level of distribution and monetization. fireworks and much more. Among my blog traffic estimated to be necessary I joined dozens of social networks news gathering and distribution tools to sell sponsorships. and set up every account with the are TweetDeck—a desktop Twitter I poured countless hours into so- same user name—think branding— client—and a number of Web sites that cial media distribution, combining and I arranged to be e-mailed when search Twitter posts. I use Tweetie to aggregated news content with creative a member friended, linked, followed send my stories via my iPhone, which human editing and occasional original me, or became a fan. Over time, some can post and link to photos and add content. Some argue that aggregation sites turned out to matter more, a few live geotags. adds nothing and that aggregators are are defunct, and from others I never Over time, traffic grew on my sites. mere parasites, regurgitating content heard a peep. I also began using video Among the social media highlights of already available at mainstream sites, distribution sites to post my work to my news coverage are: but I disagree. Services like mine social networks. Soon, my stories could connect disenfranchised communities be found on YouTube and other video • When about 35,000 visitors came with important news, and they repay sites or as iTunes podcasts. Updates to my site after I posted celebra- the content creators by sending my would appear on my blog. tion photos after the Phillies won audience their way. A year later, further budget cuts were the World Series. I’d sent links to Intelligence Group, a market re- making my job ever more difficult, and several photo editors, and The Asso- search company, interviewed a college I saw little multimedia progress at the ciated Press bought and distributed student whose perspective seems to office. I got the feeling that what I’d them. neatly sum up how the “social media learned in Vegas might as well have • When Philly.com purchased and generation” sees the world: “If the stayed in Vegas. When buyouts came published some of my iPhone photos news is that important, it will find along, I raised my hand, intending to from the scene of a fatal fire, I was me.” With young people, in particu- apply the severance toward a sabbatical profiled by Philadelphia Weekly lar, information today is shared, not year as I threw myself into learning and even got blog mentions from sought. all I could about social media, moneti- BuzzMachine and Romenesko. By July, I was the second-most zation, content distribution, and their • When President-elect Obama’s inau- followed Twitter user in Philadel- implications for journalism. guration train pulled out from 30th phia, behind only Ahmir “?uestlove”

28 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

Sisters celebrate in Center City Philadelphia on election night in November 2008, as it was becoming clear that Barack Obama would be the next President of the United States. Launching a blog—where I can post photos—permitted me to begin monetizing my traffic, as opposed to sending my audience to TwitPic or similar sites, where others collect the ad dollars.

President-elect Barack Obama’s train leaves Philadelphia for inaugural celebrations in Wash- ington in January. Because conventional news photography prohibits shooting and publish- ing from the same device, I am almost certain that my photos were the first to show the train in motion after it left 30th Street Station.

Photos and text by Jim MacMillan.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 29 Journalism and Social Media

Thompson of The Roots. Sometimes brities and star athletes, because we there for at least a year. In preparing I’d break into the top 500 global users, have complete authority. We direct for this transition, I’ve refocused my ahead of some celebrities, star athletes, the endeavor and can be swift and blog (jimmacmillan.net) more clo- mainstream news outlets, and other nimble. Those aren’t always attributes sely around convergence journalism staffed accounts. readily associated with traditional news education and media industry mat- I think it’s fair to say that my editing organizations these days. ters and launched an accompanying and distribution techniques—and my City University in Birmingham, Eng- Twitter account, writing there as @ interactions with my audience— earned land, has recognized the significance missourijim. me this influence. In conversing online, of this new age by offering a master’s I don’t know if I’ll return to the I’ve gained a broader understanding degree program in social media. The life of a backpacking, independent, of the news consumer and discovered “Internet Famous” course at Parsons live-blogging, entrepreneurial, econo- new content. My online audience The New School for Design challenges mically sustainable, all-platform, social immediately let me know not only the relationship between excellence and media, multimedia, visual journalist, their opinions about my reporting, recognition, but applies distribution but the experience was priceless. but also where I could go for more and reputation management strategies Without walking down that road and information—I’ll never forget the day that certainly every journalist would having to find my way, I’m not sure I discovered the Twitpic of the USAir benefit from learning. I’d be ready to teach students who plane in the Hudson. Social media needs to be part of will be carving out their own roads Given my online experiences— the curricula for training journalists, in journalism.  mixed in with what I know about so I feel fortunate to be able to take newspapers—I’m starting to suspect the lessons I’ve learned in my life- Jim MacMillan teaches convergence that social media might never work after-my-buyout into the classroom. journalism at the University of Mis- as well for these larger, old media In August, I joined the convergence souri School of Journalism. He worked outlets. Social media works well for faculty at the University of Missouri for 17 years as a staff photographer for entrepreneurs, as it does for cele- School of Journalism and will teach the Philadelphia Daily News.

Actor and musician Steven Van Zandt, his wife, and her newly married relatives pose for pho- tos at the gate of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate in June 2009. With my iPhone and the Word- Press app, I am always prepared for live, mobile photo-blogging, including this day when a cancelled flight stranded me in Memphis.

Photo and text by Jim MacMillan.

30 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

Reporting Relies on Questions: Now They Come From Readers At MyReporter.com, StarNews readers get the conversation going by asking about what’s on their minds, and then reporters respond.

BY VAUGHN HAGERTY

ll good journalism starts with a question. But, who’s doing the asking? AIn most newsrooms, it’s not the reader. If the reader has input, it’s usually a reaction to what already has been reported. Of course, some stories originate from a reader’s call, but most of the time the reporter and editor drive the decisions about what gets covered and the questions asked in doing so. MyReporter.com, launched in mid- 2009, turns that dynamic on its head. Now, readers are in control at the start of the process. It works like this: Ask a question, either on our Web site, via e-mail, or by Twitter. Within 24 hours (longer on weekends and holidays), a personal response will come from our newsroom describing how we plan to handle the question. While we don’t commit to answering questions that are too specific to a single person’s situation or ones seeking to resolve disputes, we’ll at least direct the per- son who asked to possible resources. Questions we do answer are assigned to staff reporters, who provide a timely response that we post on the site, with credit given to the person who raised the question. In an effort to provide a sort of help desk for the community, the StarNews of Wilmington, This idea grew out of a discussion North Carolina, launched MyReporter.com earlier this year. The site invites readers to sub- StarNews Executive Editor Robyn mit questions, which are then answered by staff reporters. Tomlin led about how we could in- novate. Like many newspapers, we use tools such as Twitter and online a “help desk” for our community? 300 staff-originated items, followed forums to communicate with readers. Our conversation took place on a by readers’ questions and our answers. In listening to our readers, we often Thursday. That weekend, the idea took Once they are displayed on the front heard them ask questions like “What form in my head. I sketched out a rough of the site, all of these Q & A’s are were all those sirens I just heard mock-up and drew up a proposal for then archived. This is the second func- downtown?,” or “Who can I complain what is now MyReporter.com. During tion of MyReporter.com: to become a to about my neighbor’s trashy yard?.” the next few months, I built the site growing, eclectic, Wiki-like reference With this in mind, Tomlin challenged by customizing the WordPress blog for our community. us: How could our newsroom provide platform. We launched it with about The concept was new for us and for

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 31 Journalism and Social Media

the community. We weren’t sure how one and one-half full-time journalists questions they ask and their use of people would take to it or whether to this site, without adding to our MyReporter.com, readers tell us—and they’d even figure out how to use it. staff. Since MyReporter.com is now the rest of the community—what they With an unexpectedly high volume of one of our Web site’s more popular want to know more about. With their questions submitted early on, it turned features, we are committed to making excellent questions, they prompt us out to be a positive reception. In our it sustainable by finding ways to have to provide content that will measure first two weeks, we received about 60 it earn revenue. up; the information sharing that is questions, ranging from “How do I find MyReporter.com’s success rests, in a part of these exchanges sometimes out who’s responsible for cleaning and large part, on the quality of answers that ends up being reverse-published in maintaining local roadside ditches?,” to result from using professional reporters the paper. “Should I get someone to urinate on me and editors. We don’t want to dilute But MyReporter.com has also if I have a jellyfish sting?.” A number that, but also we want to preserve our become a tool that we’re using to of questions played off news coverage core function of reporting and writing shape our overall coverage. It’s led or led to new stories. For example, the daily news along with producing us, for example, to focus more of our North Carolina recently strengthened enterprise and investigative pieces. newsroom resources on stories about public smoking laws as they apply Right now, we’re using a variety of transportation and development is- to businesses such as restaurants. A approaches to balance these seemingly sues. MyReporter.com provides us question from one reader about how competing priorities, including being with a real-time window into our the changes applied to hookah bars more selective about the questions we community’s curiosity about our re- resulted in a story pointing out that answer and looking for new resources, gion’s culture, history and events. It’s they likely would be shut down. such as local experts, to help in our one we wouldn’t have without them, efforts to respond. and this might well turn out to be its Paying for MyReporter.com Readers have embraced MyReport- greatest value.  er.com. Even in its first month, MyRe- Our volume of questions has grown porter.com ranked among our site’s Vaughn Hagerty is the Web develop- steadily to about 75 each week, about most-viewed categories. We’d receive ment manager at the StarNews in two-thirds of which result in new messages such as “No question today, Wilmington, North Carolina, and the answers on MyReporter.com. This but just a comment that I think this creator of MyReporter.com, which won development, while immensely gratify- feature is excellent,” and “the Web site the 2009 Knight-Batten Citizen Me- ing, has weighed on the editorial staff. is the greatest. My father and I spent dia Award. We’ve assigned the equivalent of about hours last night reading it.” Through

An Explosion Prompts Rethinking of Twitter and Facebook ‘… this explosion was our “aha” moment in experiencing how social media, Twitter, in particular, opens up new possibilities in journalism.’

BY COURTNEY LOWERY

hen a building exploded willing to broadcast via Twitter what news organization in the community in Bozeman, Montana, last was happening. could have mustered. spring, leveling half a block Within moments of the explosion, Michael Becker, a Bozeman-based Wof downtown and throwing debris as Bozeman “tweeps” had posted photos, journalist who organized the explosion far as 200 feet, neither NewWest. described in detail the scene, and tweets into the now locally famous Net—a Missoula-based online network shared vital emergency information. #bozexplode hashtag, wrote this on covering the Rocky Mountain West— A few hours later, those on Twitter his blog: nor any local news organization had a were offering coverage of the city’s reporter at the scene. But there were press conference and acting as a larger For a long time, people have been plenty of “reporters” there, ready and reporting team than any individual talking about the potential of

32 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Building Community

Twitter as a news source. Today, time to use them. school board meetings might not quite Twitter earned its stripes.1 We saw that Twitter is about work. Live-tweeting a high-profile personality—about adding value to court case, on the other hand, might. Since that day in Bozeman, Twitter’s your stories by pulling important It’s all about listening to readers and ability—and agility—as a tool to gather information, soliciting feedback and, applying news judgment in deciding and distribute breaking news has been in general, acting like a human, not which stories lend themselves to which exhibited throughout the world, in like a robot. When we turned off the medium. Iran and China most notably. Here in Twitter link to the Facebook page, one Our most popular Twitter coverage Montana, this explosion was our “aha” moment in experiencing how social media, Twitter, in particular, opens up new possibilities in journalism. Before that day, we’d used Twit- ter to push our stories, viewing it as another channel by which to market our content. The Bozeman explosion demonstrated that its potential is much greater.

Our Learning Curve

At NewWest.Net we began using Twitter and Facebook relatively early, although I can’t say we saw a clear path at the beginning. We made some rookie mistakes, the first being using our personal Twitter and Facebook accounts to post NewWest.Net stories, which created a weird intermingling of the personal and professional. Our next one was to link our Twitter ac- count to our Facebook account that, as we learned, is not the point of Facebook. One of our worst mistakes, and one many news organizations are still mak- ing, was to automate. To alleviate the time crunch of having to continually NewWest.Net, an online-only publication based in Missoula, Montana, relied extensively Tweet, we thought: Automation! There on first-person news accounts when half a block of downtown Bozeman was leveled by an must be a way to automate this. And explosion last spring, and it had no reporters on the scene. so we created a feed from our pages that on our instruction would post scheduled headlines and links to our Twitter account. That did not go well. of our readers wrote: “tweets are not turned out to be a court case: the If people wanted to subscribe to our fb status posts. glad you got it.” Loud bankruptcy trial of the ritzy Yellowstone headline feed, they’d do so via RSS or and clear. Club resort. It got so much attention, just go to our Web site. We started thinking about our in fact, that the court banned Weber Gradually we began to figure it out. Twitter feed as a separate product, from tweeting in the courtroom. As First, we created and ramped up our another platform not just to push our it turned out, witnesses and counsel NewWest.Net Twitter and Facebook journalism, but to do it as well. We were following our Twitter feed both accounts. Then, and this is no small used Twitter to do live coverage of inside and outside the courtroom. The task, our CEO and Editor in Chief stories of our choice. There’s an em- judge disapproved, even after Weber Jonathan Weber and I carved out the phasis here on “choice.” Live-tweeting gave him a personal lesson on what

1 Read Becker’s blog entry that day at www.hypercrit.net/2009/03/05/what-twitter-did- for-crisis-journalism-today.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 33 Journalism and Social Media

exactly Twitter was. good news, the value of using any broader public. The local radio station We’ve also used Twitter to help social media application is found in went live shortly after the explosion, aggregate useful information for our its ability to facilitate meaningful took calls from people on the scene, readers by re-tweeting what others conversation with users. This is some- and repeated what the anchor was are saying, sending our followers to thing traditional news entities struggle finding out from Twitter. other interesting stories and, most with and even we—as an online-only NewWest.Net and the Bozeman importantly, making it a vehicle with publication—haven’t quite figured out Daily Chronicle both quoted from the Twitter feed, and we directed readers to those people tweeting from the site of the explosion. But we also performed another very important function: We filtered the information and confirmed facts. In most cases, the Twitter com- munity was self-policing, but in one case, a tweet named an unconfirmed casualty and, while the Twitter com- munity acted quickly to quash it, the name had already made the rounds. I don’t think this information made it into the mass media. Again, Becker summed it up quite well on his blog:

Will this sort of thing ever re- place those journalists who went into the blast zone this morning, the ones who stood at the press conferences and asked questions? No. Not at all. But Twitter did a job that traditional journalism could not possibly do in a city of this size. It informed the people as quickly as events happened The thinking about how to use Twitter at NewWest.Net has evolved over time. An auto- and let people know what they mated feed of headlines was not well received. NewWest.Net’s use of Twitter to provide live needed to know right away. coverage of the ritzy Yellowstone Club’s bankruptcy trial was extremely popular, except with the presiding judge. Just like every other news organi- zation—online and offline—we’re still assessing just how and when to use which to converse with readers. how to do yet. social media. There are still a lot of Since March, just after the Bozeman The Bozeman explosion served unanswered, even unasked, questions. explosion, 600 people have become as a perfect example of how social But it’s here to stay—and it’s here to Twitter followers. We’re adding at least media and mass media can lean on help us, if we can get past seeing it as a three new “friends” or fans on Facebook each other to create a new form of marketing vehicle and learn how to use each day. In the past six months, traffic journalism. Throughout the coverage, it to create community by developing from Facebook to NewWest.Net has I observed a fascinating symbiotic re- a relationship with our readers. increased by more than 350 percent lationship forming. On-site observers A few months ago, I was given an from the previous six months. It’s now used Twitter to cover the event in a additional duty in my job description: No. 4 on our list of referring sites, up way that we, as a small newsroom, “Spend meaningful time on Twitter and from 26. Traffic from Twitter is up by could not. On the other hand, only Facebook.” That’s something I never a bit more than 800 percent and is a handful of people, especially in thought I’d see.  now our No. 8 means of referral, up remote Montana, even knew at the from No. 74. time what Twitter was. So as good as Courtney Lowery is the editor of the coverage was on Twitter, for the NewWest.Net. What Happens Next? average Montanan, it was inaccessible until news organizations started using While the traffic boost is certainly the information and pushing it to the

34 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 EARNING TRUST | Credibility Through Conversation

The 21st Century Journalist’s Creed A former newspaper editor urges journalists to ‘let go of the sense that we have control and recognize how much better public service journalism can be when we accept the public as true partners.’

BY MICHAEL R. FANCHER

The whole world is watching.” Demonstrators chanted those words in the streets of Chicago “in 1968, and many people throughout the world did watch as the story was told through the voices of professional print and broadcast journalists. That summer I had graduated from the University of Oregon and would spend those next 40 years in journal- ism, working for just two newspapers. I left The Kansas City Star as city editor in 1978 and spent the next 30 years at The Seattle Times, 20 of them as executive editor. I worked with amazingly talented journalists and for principled owners dedicated to public service journalism. When I retired in 2008, I could not have asked for a more fulfilling career. Former Seattle Times Executive Editor Michael R. Fancher considered the question of Today, the words “the world is whether “The Journalist’s Creed,” written in 1914 by Walter Williams, founder of the Mis- watching”—uttered from the streets souri School of Journalism, remains viable in the digital age. of Iran and by President Obama— convey a wholly different sense of the instantaneous global reach of news reports and the multitude of ways that post-election protests that the Iranian their own news judgment. They are information is collected and delivered. government sought to suppress. Try increasingly serving as reporters and Consider how the world watched Neda as it might, the government couldn’t editors for themselves and others. Agha Soltan, a 26-year-old music block transmission of images from Indeed, the case has been thoughtfully student, die in Tehran this summer. mobile phone cameras, e-mails, and articulated that, “We’re all journalists Independent news organizations were social networking sites. now.”1 And, the question has been prohibited from being in the streets, but In this digital age, the world is provocatively asked, “When everyone two amateur videos—one 37 seconds watching all of the time, everywhere. can be a publisher, what distinguishes long and the other 15 seconds—put a People have nearly limitless access to the journalist?”2 tragically beautiful face on the story of information, allowing them to exercise In considering that question, it is

1 Scott Gant wrote about this in his book, “We’re All Journalists Now: The Transformation of the Press and Reshaping of the Law in the Internet Age,” published by Free Press in 2007. 2 Arthur S. Hayes, Jane B. Singer, and Jerry Ceppos wrote about this in an article, “Shifting Roles, Enduring Values: The Credible Journalist in a Digital Age,” published in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics in 2007.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 35 Journalism and Social Media

important to recognize that profes- nalism. I believe that the public at a time when information was scarce sional journalism is relatively young journal is a public trust; that all and access to it was limited. Journal- and has no claim to permanence. connected with it are, to the full ism was mostly a one-way relationship At the turn of the last century, “yel- measure of their responsibility, with journalists deciding what best low journalism” and sensationalism trustees for the public; that ac- served the public. Today, anyone can prompted calls for reform. In 1908, ceptance of a lesser service than perform the traditional functions of Walter Williams founded the nation’s the public service is betrayal of journalism, and thus arises a serious first journalism school at the University this trust. question about whether the kind of of Missouri, believing that journalists public service journalism Williams would earn the public’s trust only if I first read “The Journalist’s Creed” advocated can remain viable in the they were trained as professionals as a sophomore working for my high digital age. and held themselves accountable to school newspaper, and it inspired After I retired from The Seattle the highest professional and personal me throughout my career. Its core Times, I was offered a fellowship in standards. principles of clarity, accuracy, fairness, the Reynolds Journalism Institute at In 1914 Williams wrote “The Jour- truth, independence and, above all, the Missouri School of Journalism nalist’s Creed,”3 which begins: public service, remain the heart of for the 2008-2009 academic year. journalism today. Through public forums, research and I believe in the profession of jour- But Williams’s “Creed” was written study during my fellowship, I’ve come

3 “The Journalist’s Creed” can be read at www.journalism.missouri.edu/about/creed.

The Public and Journalists: They Disagree on Core Values

BY ESTHER THORSON AND MICHAEL R. FANCHER

In considering the modern relevance cent. “valuing accuracy regardless of other of Walter Williams’s “Journalist’s • “Your local TV news” experienced a considerations.” The other dimension Creed,” it was well documented that fall from 34 percent to 25 percent. was anchored by the values of “com- people who aren’t journalists held • With network news, the decrease plete independence of the journalist increasingly negative attitudes toward was 31 percent to 24 percent. from all influences” and the “journalist news organizations. For example, The being socially responsible.” Pew Research Center for the People Pew reported this year that only 43 Journalists routinely weigh these & the Press reported in 2004 that percent of people surveyed thought variables in deciding whether and from 1996 to that year there was a civic life in their community would how to report stories. We tested the sharp fall in the percentage of those be hurt “a lot” by the closing of their application of these values dimensions who reported that they believed most local newspaper.2 in three hypothetical situations: of the news reporting in newspapers Given these findings, it seemed likely and on television.1 What follows are that American citizens and journalists 1. A journalist is worried that reporting some specific findings: might have a very different sense of crime stories involving young male what the values of journalism are and African Americans might lead citi- • “Your daily paper” fell in the percent- should be. To test this idea, however, zens to falsely stereotype all young age of those saying they believed required identifying two values dimen- African Americans as criminals. what was published from 25 percent sions that would capture the essence 2. Right before an election, a source to 19 percent. of modern journalism’s code of ethics. reveals that a candidate has an il- • With USA Today, the number At one end, the anchoring idea was legitimate child. dropped from 24 percent to 19 per- “doing no harm”; at the other end was 3. A journalist worries that reporting

1 “News audiences increasingly politicized.” Report from The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press (2004) http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=838. 2 Results from this 2009 Pew study can be read at http://people-press.org/report/497/ many-would-shrug-if-local-newspaper-closed.

36 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust to believe that the imperatives facing this “groundswell” as “a social trend appreciates the need for acquiring new journalism are far more fundamen- in which people use technologies to skills, knowledge and experience. New tal than I had appreciated. They go get the things they need from each business models will and are emerging. beyond the collapse of the business other, rather than from traditional Of necessity, journalists are rethinking model that supported journalism in institutions like corporations.” They what they do and how they do it. the past century. assert in “Groundswell” that this is As for enlightenment, my belief is “an important, irreversible, completely that journalism must also develop a Restoring Public Trust different way for people to relate to new ethic of public trust through pub- companies and to each other.” lic engagement. This will require that One particularly compelling expla- Li and Bernoff offer this advice: journalists let go of the sense that we nation for what is happening comes This groundswell won’t be stopped, have control and recognize how much out of Forrester Research and is but it can and should be understood. better public service journalism can captured in the book “Groundswell: We ought not only to live with it, but be when we accept the public as true Winning in a World Transformed thrive in it. Doing so requires new partners. Instead of fearing and resist- by Social Technologies,” published thinking—skill, knowledge, experience ing this shift, journalists must embrace by Harvard Business School Press in and, eventually, enlightenment. and lead the way. This fundamental 2008. The authors, Forrester analysts I think everyone associated with change in perspective isn’t just neces- Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, define journalism and journalism education sary for journalism to survive; it is the

on CIA illegal activities might tip Adults consistently favor accuracy journalists actually value. off others about how that agency is over minimizing harm. • Journalists’ values and the public: operating to reduce the risk of ter- • Gaps between ideal and real: In While agreement among editors and rorist attacks in the United States. the responses of adults and college reporters can be regarded as shared students, significant gaps emerged professional values honed over time, We asked college students and a between their ideal and what they it can also be interpreted as an incli- national sample of adults to indicate thought journalists would really nation to make judgments through a where they thought an ideal journalist do. Social responsibility is a higher common, narrow filter. This becomes would be in dealing with these pos- value for adults than for journalists significant when journalists’ choices sible stories based on the two values or students. are compared to the judgments pre- dimensions. We then asked them where • Journalists agreed: Editors and ferred by the public. they thought real journalists would be reporters tended to make the same given the same set of circumstances. basic decisions in how they would It was clear that adults and college We also posed the same questions to cover each story. students feel that the values journalists a large national sample of editors and use in making their decisions don’t reporters, asking them to show us Here is where these findings took match their own. This gap won’t be where they would put themselves on our thinking: closed merely by journalists explaining the dimensions for each scenario. their values, though this is an important Here is some of what we found: • Independence: Journalists need to step for them to take; they must also better articulate the meaning and understand and respect the values of • Independence: As a journalistic importance of independence as a the public they hope to serve, just as value, independence was more sig- value, while also better understand- the public can learn why journalists nificant to reporters than to students, ing and respecting why the public hold to the values they do. adults or editors, who lined up closely puts less emphasis on it. These findings contributed to the with each other. • Minimizing harm: These results sup- conclusion—described in greater de- • Minimizing harm: This value basi- port other recent research asserting tail in the accompanying article—that cally didn’t register with any of the that the admonition to “minimize journalism must also develop a new groups. Journalists use situational harm” requires clarification. ethic of public trust through public ethics in relation to minimizing • Misperceptions: Students and adults engagement.  harm; it’s much stronger for them have very inaccurate perceptions of in political stories. Students are the values of journalists. Their ideal Esther Thorson is dean of graduate situational as well, but show the journalists match real journalists studies and research at the University opposite pattern than journalists. better than their predictions of what of Missouri School of Journalism.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 37 Journalism and Social Media

right thing for journalists to do. engagement at the heart of everything as a new way of networking among In the foreword to Charlie Beckett’s they do. This starts with re-examining people, with journalism at the hub. book “SuperMedia: Saving Journal- the values of journalism—what they • Be independent without being indif- ism So It Can Save the World,” Jeff should be and how we can live up to ferent or hostile. Jarvis calls this “the natural state of them. Research conducted as part of • Feel a responsibility to help the pub- media: two-way and collaborative.” As my fellowship project4 suggests that lic be smart consumers of news. he observes, “The one-way nature of the public views the core values of • Recognize that journalism isn’t just news media until now was merely a journalism differently than journalists on behalf of the people, but in concert result of the limitations of production do. [See box on pages 36 and 37.] with them. and distribution. Properly done, news Journalists can’t regain public trust should be a conversation among those without better understanding and Most importantly, this new ethic who know and those who want to respecting those differences. A new of public engagement can be the know, with journalists—in their new ethic of public trust through public sustaining embodiment of Williams’s roles as curators, enablers, organizers, engagement would: belief that the supreme test of good educators—helping where they can.” journalism is the measure of its public As the economics, architecture, • See public trust not as an abstrac- service.  tools and technology of journalism tion, but with an abiding desire to change, Jarvis writes that he hopes connect on a human level. Michael R. Fancher was until 2008 what changes most is the culture: “I • See the public not as an audience but the longtime executive editor of The hope journalism becomes more open, as a community, of which journalism Seattle Times. For the past year, he has transparent, inclusive and flexible.” is a vital part. been a fellow at the Reynolds Journal- For this to happen, journalists • See the Internet not just as a new ism Institute at the University of Mis- must put public trust through public medium for communication, but souri School of Journalism.

4 For more information about Fancher’s project at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, go to http://rji.missouri.edu/projects/creed-convo/index.php.

Why the News Media Became Irrelevant—And How Social Media Can Help ‘Only the savviest of journalists are using the networks for the real value they provide in today’s culture—as ways to establish relationships and listen to others.’

BY MICHAEL SKOLER

ournalists are truth-tellers. But I stock market results, and then deliver But things started to change well think most of us have been lying it all to our doorsteps, radios and before the Web became popular. Over to ourselves. Our profession is TVs. People trusted journalists and, the past few decades, news conglomer- Jcrumbling and we blame the Web for on our side, we delivered news that ates took over local papers and stations. killing our business model. Yet it’s not was relevant—it helped people connect Then they cut on-the-ground report- the business model that changed on with neighbors, be active citizens, and ers, included more syndicated content us. It’s the culture. lead richer lives. from news services, and focused local Mainstream media were doing fine Advertisers, of course, footed the coverage on storms, fires, crashes and when information was hard to get bill for newsgathering. They wanted crime to pad profit margins. The news and even harder to distribute. The exposure and paid because people, lots became less local and less relevant, public expected journalists to report of people, were reading our newspa- and reporters became less connected the important stories, pull together pers or listening to and watching our to their communities. Surveys show a information from sports scores to news programs. steep drop in public trust in journalism

38 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust occurring during the past 25 years. respond and pursue the best ideas and Digg and reddit are popular as As discontent grew among the knowledge of the audience to improve sites because they are about collective audience, the Internet arrived. Now their own reporting. Journalists can’t wisdom and trust. These social book- people had choices. If the local pa- make reporting more relevant to the marking sites help people find relevant per and stations weren’t considered public until we stop assuming that news based on who is recommending trustworthy and journalists seemed we know what people want and start stories. Anyone can play, even if expe- detached from what really mattered listening to the audience. rienced and dedicated users have an to them, people could find what they We can’t create relevance through advantage. Twitter is half diary and wanted elsewhere. What’s more, they limited readership studies and polls, half stream of consciousness, and it could stop being passive recipients. or simply by adding neighborhood is all about relationships and trust They could dig deeply into topics, sections to our Web sites. We need to because it is easy to follow people, follow their interests, and share their listen, ask questions, and be genuinely see if there is a connection, and drop knowledge and passions with others open to what our readers, listeners and those you don’t like. who cared about similar things. watchers tell us is important everyday. We need to create a new journalism of Changing Journalism’s Connecting Through Trust partnership, rather than preaching. Culture And that’s where social media can The truth is the Internet didn’t steal the guide us. If we pay attention and use Social media sites are not doing jour- audience. We lost it. Today fewer people these tools, we can better understand nalism, though sometimes breaking are systematically reading our papers today’s culture and what creates value news shows up there (like when a and tuning into our news programs for for people. plane crash-lands in the Hudson River). a simple reason—many people don’t For the most part, they rely on news feel we serve them anymore. We are, Relying on Collective Wisdom coverage from mainstream media orga- literally, out of touch. nizations to produce their value. And Today, people expect to share in- Today’s new culture is about connection these sites are not yet profitable. They formation, not be fed it. They expect and relationship. Social networks are are not models for the new journalism. to be listened to when they have humming because they fit the spirit But they do serve the new culture and knowledge and raise questions. They of the time, not because they created point to how news organizations must want news that connects with their the spirit of sharing. They’re about change to be considered relevant and lives and interests. They want control listening to others and responding. value-creating. over their information. And they want They’re about pursuing our interests Of course, news organizations are connection—they give their trust to because we know they will converge rushing onto social networks, adding those they engage with—people who with the interests of others. The new social bookmark buttons, and creating talk with them, listen and maintain culture values sharing information and Twitter feeds at a torrid pace. But for a relationship. being surprised by the experiences, the wrong reasons. You can hear the Trust is key. Many younger people knowledge and voices of others. cries in newsrooms of “we need to be don’t look for news anymore because The old journalism, with its over- on Facebook, we need to Twitter” as a it comes to them. They simply assume reliance on the same experts and ana- fervent attempt to win followers and their network of friends—those they lysts, is out of touch with a culture of increase traffic on their sites. trust—will tell them when something information sharing, connection and Mainstream media see social media interesting or important happens and the collective wisdom of diverse voices as tools to help them distribute and send them whatever their friends passing along direct experience. market their content. Only the savviest deem to be trustworthy sources, from Take Wikipedia as an example. For of journalists are using the networks articles, blogs, podcasts, Twitter feeds, better or worse, most school kids treat for the real value they provide in or videos. it as the first place to go for informa- today’s culture—as ways to establish Mainstream media are low on the tion, and so do many adults. It’s not relationships and listen to others. The trust scale for many and have been written by scholars, as is Encyclopædia bright news organizations and journal- slow to reach out in a genuine way Britannica, but by citizen experts. In ists spend as much time listening on to engage people. Many news orga- today’s culture, collective expertise Twitter as they do tweeting. nizations think interaction is giving carries as much or more weight than Most of the discussion about the people buttons to push on Web sites or scholarship or deference to titles. And “future of journalism” these days creating a walled space where people while fewer than 45,000 people are centers on finding the new business can “comment” on the news or post actively contributing to the nearly model that will support journalism in their own “iReports.” three million English articles on the the Internet age. Yet that is prema- People aren’t fooled by false interac- site, people know that anyone can ture. There is no magic model that tion if they see that news staff don’t contribute, and they have trust in the will save us, if only we could find it. read the comments or citizen reports, culture’s collective wisdom. We have no business model unless

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 39 Journalism and Social Media

people need our work to enrich their dia isn’t that we’ve lost our business Michael Skoler, a 1993 Nieman Fellow, daily lives and value it highly enough model. We’ve lost our value. We are is a Reynolds Journalism Institute to depend on it. not as important to the lives of our Fellow at the University of Missouri Unquestionably, we must be creative audience as we once were. Social me- School of Journalism. He founded the about designing new models and smart dia are the route back to a connection Public Insight Journalism model used about marketing our work. But a fact with the audience. And if we use them by a dozen public broadcasting news- of business is that people only pay to listen, we’ll learn how we can add rooms to partner with their audiences. for what has obvious value to them. value in the new culture. He wrote “Fear, Loathing and the Every good business plan starts by The new journalism must be a Promise of Public Insight Journalism” explaining how it creates value for journalism of partnership. Only with in the Winter 2005 Nieman Reports. the customer. trust and connection will a new busi- The problem with mainstream me- ness model emerge. 

Media Users, Media Creators: Principles of Active Engagement In transforming ‘ourselves from passive consumers of media into active users … we’ll have to instill throughout our society principles that add up to critical thinking and honorable behavior.’

BY DAN GILLMOR

This article is adapted, in part, from With traditional media, we produced and journalism—in some ways, too an essay Gillmor wrote in 2008 as something, usually manufactured, and ample. part of the Media Re:public project then distributed it—put it in trucks or Why, given the crumbling of (www.mediarepublic.org) at the Berk- broadcast it to receivers in a one-to- newspapers and the news industry in man Center for Internet & Society at many mode. Today, we create media general, should we believe in abun- Harvard University. In the Winter and post it online. We make it avail- dance? Just look around. The number 2008 Nieman Reports, Persephone able; people come and get it. There’s an of experiments taking place in new Miel, who directed that project, wrote element of distribution here, by virtue media is stunning and heartening. “Media Re:public: My Year in the of letting people know it’s there, but Entrepreneurs are moving swiftly to Church of the Web.” the essential fact in a one-to-one or become pioneers in tomorrow’s news. many-to-many world is availability. Philanthropic enterprises are filling n the age of democratized media, This democratization gives people gaps they perceive in coverage. Even the tools of creation are increasingly who have been mere consumers the the traditional media dinosaurs are, in everyone’s hands. The personal ability to be creators. With few excep- probably too late, moving to adapt Icomputer that I’m using to write this tions, we are all becoming the latter as to the changes that have put them in essay comes equipped with media cre- well as the former, though to varying such difficulty, namely the transition ation and editing tools of such depth degrees. More exciting, some creators from monopoly and oligopoly to a that I can’t begin to learn all their become collaborators. truly competitive marketplace. capabilities. One of the devices I use What does this mean? For one thing, Most of the experiments in new regularly boasts video recording and contrary to the panic we’re hearing journalism and business models will playback, still-camera mode, audio from newspaper people whose jobs are fail. That is the nature of the new and recording, text messaging, and GPS disappearing, the end of our oligopo- of start-up cultures. But even a small location, among other tools that make listic system of media and journalism percentage of successes will still be a it a powerful media creation device is good news, not something to dread. large number because so many people (and, by the way, it’s a phone). Indeed, I no longer worry about a are trying. We won’t lack for supply, Equally important in this world sufficient supply of journalism, not in though we should never stop trying of democratized media, we can make the emerging age of abundance. We’ll to make it better. what we create widely accessible. have ample amounts of information But to ensure that this supply of

40 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust information is useful and trustworthy, we’ll have to rethink our relationship with media. In the supply and demand system that guides all marketplaces, including the marketplace of ideas and information, we need better demand, not just more supply. To ensure that demand, we’ll need to transform our- selves from passive consumers of media into active users. And to accomplish that, we’ll have to instill throughout our society principles that add up to critical thinking and honorable behavior. Even those of us who are creating a variety of media are still—and always will be—more consumers than creators. For all of us in this category, the principles (illuminated below) come mostly from common sense. Call them skepticism, judgment, understanding and reporting. Media saturation requires us to become more active as consumers, The Mediactive project consists of a book, Web site, and more with the goal of creating a in part to manage the flood of data user’s guide to democratized media and persuading people who have been passive consum- pouring over us each day but also to ers to become active users. make informed judgments about the significance of what we do see. And when we create media that serves a and experience. We need to bring to personal or important you consider public interest or journalistic role, we digital media a more rigorous level the topic at hand, the more essential need to understand what it means to of parsing, adapted from but going it becomes to follow up on the media be journalistic, as well as how we can far beyond what we learned in a less that cover the topic. Lifelong learning help make it better and more useful. complex time when there were only a is now accepted as fundamental, and This adds up to a new kind of me- few primary sources of information. it applies to our use of media, too. dia literacy, based on key principles A key point: Some things deserve for both consumers and creators. negative credibility; that is, they would Understand and learn media tech- These categories will overlap to some need to improve just to achieve zero niques. In a media-saturated society, degree—as do their principles, each of credibility. we need to know how digital media which requires an active, not passive, work. The techniques of media cre- approach to media. Go outside your personal comfort ation are becoming second nature, zone. The “echo chamber” effect— at least to younger people. But it’s Active Media Users, Not our tendency as human beings to equally essential to understand the ‘Consumers’ seek information that we’re likely to ways people use media to persuade agree with—is well known. To be well and manipulate. Moreover, we need Be skeptical of absolutely everything. informed, we need to seek out and to help each other know who’s doing We can never take entirely for granted pay attention to sources of informa- the manipulating. the absolute trustworthiness of what tion that will offer new perspectives we read, see, hear and use. This is the and challenge our assumptions. This case for information from traditional is easier than ever before, due to the Media Creation, When news organizations, blogs, online vid- enormous amount of news and analy- Credibility Matters eos, and every other form known now sis available on the Internet. If we’re or yet to be invented. not relentless with ourselves, we can’t Do your homework and then do some expect much of others. more. You can’t know everything, but Although skepticism is essential, don’t good reporters try to learn as much be equally skeptical of everything. Ask more questions. This principle goes as they can about a topic. It’s better We all have an internal “trust meter” by many names: research, reporting, to know much more than you publish of sorts, largely based on education homework and many others. The more than to leave big holes in your story.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 41 Journalism and Social Media

The best reporters always want to make of thought may be most important. all of us, to have the kind of news and one more call, check with one more Creators of media, not just consumers, information we need. source, because they worry that the need to venture beyond their personal These principles are just the begin- fact(s) they don’t know are the ones comfort zones. ning of a larger conversation. In my that might matter the most. new project called “Mediactive”—which Practice and demand transparency. This includes a book I am writing, a Web Get it right, every time. Accuracy is the is essential not just for citizen journal- site (mediactive.com) and more—I starting point for all solid journalism. ists and other new media creators but intend to explore ways to help foster a Get your facts right, then check them also for those in traditional media. The new generation of activist media users again. Factual errors, especially ones kind and extent of transparency may and better journalism in general. Most that are easily avoidable, do more differ. For example, bloggers should of all, what I hope to contribute to is to undermine trust than almost any reveal biases. Meanwhile, traditional a society in which critical thinking is other failing. journalists may have pledged individu- understood as not just an interesting ally not to have conflicts of interest, concept but an essential part of our Be fair to everyone. Whether you are but that doesn’t mean they are unbi- daily lives.  trying to explain something from a ased. They should help their audiences neutral point of view or arguing from understand what they do, and why, in Dan Gillmor is director of the Knight a specific side, fairness counts. You the course of their journalism. Center for Digital Media Entrepre- can’t be perfectly fair, and people will neurship at Arizona State University’s see what you’ve said from their own Who should teach or coach these Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass perspectives, but making the effort is principles? Parents and schools, of Communication. He is author of “We more than worth the difficulty. Like all course, should lead. It’s tragic, however, the Media: Grassroots Journalism by of these principles, fairness is a never- that journalism organizations haven’t the People, for the People,” published by ending process, not an outcome. made this one of their core missions O’Reilly Media in 2004. over the years; had they done so they Think independently, especially of your might not be in as much trouble be- own biases. Being independent can cause they would have helped people mean many things, but independence understand better what it takes, from

Creating Ethical Bridges From Journalism to Digital News ‘… what appears on Web sites and on blogs is not generally regarded as adhering to standards that govern legacy news organizations.’

BY JAN LEACH

f all content consumed will be digital as media evolve so, too, will ethical intersect and overlap among players, within 10 years, as Microsoft CEO guidelines. and there doubtless will be places where Steve Ballmer told an international Digital media—and the emerging opinions diverge. It’s unlikely that Iadvertising audience in late June, use of social media—are exponentially agreement will be easy to find across then it’s time to embrace our roles expanding the reach of journalism, and the wide range of ethical issues, but as “digital doers,” and figure out how this presents us, its practitioners (and unity ought to be expressed in ways best to connect digital consumers to those whom we hope to reach) with that let digital consumers know we are reliable news and information. Im- opportunities and dilemmas. Among thinking hard about these emerging proving credibility will be high among those who gather news, publish it and ethical issues. our strategies, and this means more consume it, ethical questions will be Here is a sample of some of the attention must be paid to ethics. raised by the demands and possibilities ethical issues rising to the surface: As Ballmer put it, “Static content of this new media environment—one won’t cut it for the consumer in the that now embraces social engagement • How will journalists and/or news future.” Neither will static ethics; as a core function. Views on ethics will organizations approach the issue of

42 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust

posting stories on personal or com- ing certain of what was being shown together. pany Web sites or blogs? If a reporter or who was sending the information, Yet, some are expressing concerns covering a local business posts nega- troubled many journalists on this end related to the nature of the Web-user’s tive information or complaints about of the story. News organizations were experience. In digital media, people the business on his news organiza- confronted with what seemed their self-select information and news to tion’s site, does that compromise the only choice: publish unconfirmed, yet read or view. Often what they search reporter’s objectivity? compelling pictures and information for is biased toward affirming what • Is it appropriate for reporters to or be left behind and considered un- they already know and believe. Then, publish on a personal blog their competitive in breaking and updating by using social media tools, they share opinion about a source, an event, or news accounts of this global story. A links with an online community of self- a story? New York Times story1 well captured selected friends. The notion of reaching • Does the posting of personal opinion this dilemma: After acknowledging more diverse and broader communities compromise a reporter’s fairness? the difficulty in substantiating some of with information and news all but If opinion is discouraged, does that the citizen-witness information, news evaporates in the fragmentation that infringe on free expression? Does managers admitted that texts and cell characterizes digital media. it “dehumanize” the reporter? [See phone video were the only way they Reed Richardson’s essay on page 63 had to cover the protests. Ethical Issues for more on this topic.] The Iran protest coverage illumi- • In an environment where anonym- nates how legacy media’s goals now Areas of disconnect between the prac- ity rules, how is the accuracy of intersect with social media’s tools. tices of journalists and the emerging user-generated content such as tips, Accuracy and credibility are still conventions of digital/social media articles, photos and video, to be de- seen as worthy goals, but do tradi- demonstrate the need for ethical termined? And how are consumers tional reporting rules—among them guidelines. Among the issues are: to be alerted? the attempt to reach all sides before • When news organizations invite and publishing a story and verification of • Authenticating sources of informa- feature citizen contributions, does information—take too long? Should tion, especially when they are pro- publishing these stories on their site posting of unverified information as vided by an anonymous source transfer “authority” to information news raise questions about accuracy • Assuring the reliability of informa- that may be biased or incomplete? and bias? tion on linked sites • Posted without any moderation, It’s possible that as various news • Dealing with conflicts of interest comments about articles often stray gathering and social media efforts • Concerns involving lack of oversight off topic or, worse, devolve into name intersect with greater frequency, they or accountability. calling and ugly slurs. Does the ano- might also find themselves moving nymity of the Web culture encourage in very different directions in terms These ethical issues, and many oth- animosity? If so, is moderating es- of their goals and purpose. Even as ers, have been discussed in journalism sential for a news organization? Or they do, credibility and ethical con- organizations for years. And numer- is churlish online debate simply the cerns should continue to be points of ous industry and news organization price to be paid for increased online intersection and overlap. policies have been created to address traffic? Areas of overlap are likely to be them, even if ethical lapses still occur found, for example, in the emerging with worrisome regularity. But even Journalism’s reliance on the tools of voices of diverse communities and in this organized step of establishing social media is evident already. What feedback from users. A great strength guidelines hasn’t happened yet within this means for a battered journalism of the Internet is its ability to en- digital/social media. Some news or- industry is significant. Consider the courage the formation of community ganizations have drawn up policies coverage of the post-election protests while giving voice to anyone digitally regarding ethical reporting conduct in Iran. With journalists banished or connected. In journalism, recognizing when using social media sites such silenced by the Iranian government, diversity and inviting feedback adds as Facebook and MySpace, and on news organizations and Web sites relied depth and human interest. Those who occasion one hears stirrings among on showing random snippets of video are overlooked in mainstream media bloggers to urge the development or text messages or tweets sent from coverage, including people espousing of standards to address ethics. Still, people witnessing the protests on the unpopular causes, will use the Internet however, what appears on Web sites streets of Tehran. Having access to to gather and share information and and on blogs is not generally regarded these images and words, but not be- use it to stitch online communities as adhering to standards that govern

1 “Journalism Rules Are Bent in News Coverage From Iran” can be read at www.nytimes. com/2009/06/29/business/media/29coverage.html?ref=business.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 43 Journalism and Social Media

legacy news organizations. with access to the Web the opportunity discrepancies between user-generated When it comes to news reporting to contribute news and commentary.2 and reporter-generated information. via social media, conversations about For digital doers the challenge will Strive for accuracy, and make sure ethical standards and guidelines ought be to find ways to embrace this open that information about transparency to be taking place in more news orga- system without sacrificing what it takes is visible. nizations. Right now, digital consumers to sustain credibility. Educating online users about jour- are right to feel confused by what they Here are two recommendations: nalistic ethics—what they are and why read and watch online. When they transparency and education. Though they matter—will require effort and see user-generated content on a news many ethical tenets are contained commitment. And journalists will not outlet such as CNN (and CNN.com), within these suggestions, maintaining be—nor should they be—the only ones they might believe it has been veri- a focus on journalistic transparency raising ethical questions and figuring fied as any other news story on CNN and on passing along reliable news out ways in this digital territory to would be, even if the iReports page is and information to consumers will find a place for standards that speak labeled “Unedited. Unfiltered.” And as give credibility to digital/social media. to the credibility of the content we they travel around the Web and link to Explain to consumers what is being read and watch.  and read blog posts and information covered, how it’s been reported, and on other Web sites, what gets blurred what information might be miss- Jan Leach is an assistant professor of is the line separating personal opinion ing. Avoid sensationalism and offer journalism at Kent State University and unverified information from what context. Invite feedback and provide and director of Kent’s Media Law journalists are reporting. cautionary warnings to readers when Center for Ethics and Access. She is In his keynote talk at the Poynter feedback is not moderated. Explain the former editor of the Akron Beacon Kent State Media Ethics Workshop in conflicts, even potential conflicts of Journal and a 2004 Ethics Fellow at the fall of 2008, PressThink blogger interest. Prominently label Web pages The Poynter Institute. Jay Rosen described online media as that contain user-generated content an “open system” that offers anyone and, provide signals to point out

2 Watch Rosen deliver his remarks, “If Blogging Had No Ethics, Blogging Would Have Failed (But It Didn’t. So Let’s Get a Clue),” at http://jmc.kent.edu/ethicsworkshop08/ keynote.php.

Closing the Credibility Gap Web users have developed a set of tools for deciding what to trust online, and now journalists can learn from them.

BY SCOTT ROSENBERG

n November 1996, Pierre Salinger, newsgroups for months. a failure of the journalistic process. But former ABC News correspondent Whoops! Salinger’s snookering its coverage as news reframed it as a and White House press secretary to illustrated a common failing among failure of the Internet. The problem, IPresident John F. Kennedy, inspired journalists at that early point in observers like Matthew Wald of The a brief flurry of headlines when he the Internet’s rise—a sort of online New York Times declared, was that stepped forward with what he claimed credulity syndrome. Somehow, he’d the Web just can’t be trusted: “It used was dramatic news: He’d found docu- concluded that if information was to be called gossip. Now it takes the ments proving that U.S. Navy missiles published online and seemed real, it form of e-mail or Internet postings, had shot down TWA Flight 800, which must be trustworthy. Once Salinger and it has a new credibility.” had crashed in the Atlantic Ocean placed his imprimatur on the story, As I read this coverage, I fumed. earlier that year. his credentials as a media insider I’d already been online for half a de- The FBI looked at Salinger’s papers ushered it past the usual checkpoints. cade, and I’d left my newspaper job and identified them as identical to It wound up all over cable news and a year before to help start Salon.com, discredited documents that had been front pages. a professional news magazine on the floating around the Internet’s Usenet This sequence of events was plainly Web. I knew that the Internet sped

44 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust

Blogging: Taking a Look After a Decade of Growth Scott Rosenberg’s book, “Say Every- the influential players in the history thing: How Blogging Began, What of blogging. It’s Becoming, and Why It Matters,” Naturally, he also discusses the long- looks at the history of blogging and standing feud between these bloggers offers his opinions on what, after 10 and the mainstream press, examining years of existence, the medium can the ways that each has influenced the provide. other and taking on the question of The book opens with the September blogger vs. journalist by writing: 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which sent countless The answer has always seemed bloggers in the city and across the simple and obvious: writing a country to their keyboards to chronicle blog neither qualified nor dis- the moment. Rosenberg credits these qualified you for the “journalist” blogs with jumpstarting the modern label. blogosphere, as he writes in his in- Blogging could be journalism troduction that “in September 2001, anytime the person writing a conventional wisdom held that Web blog chose to act like a jour- content was ‘dead.’” nalist—recording and reacting Web content was not, of course, to the events of the day, asking dead, and Rosenberg uses the book to questions and seeking answers, discuss the course it has taken since checking facts and fixing er- then and even dates the now-familiar rors. Similarly, journalists could organization of a blog (newest items become bloggers anytime they on top, oldest on the bottom) to the adopted the format of a blog as Internet’s very first Web site. The a vessel for their work. book also focuses on a number of —Jonathan Seitz

up the diffusion of rumors—and that the reputation of their newspapers and a few examples: it also accelerated their debunking. broadcast outlets by trying to discredit Surely it behooved newsroom pros the upstart online world. Internet na- • Reliable online coverage documents to grasp the dynamics of this unfa- tives and recent immigrants to it lost its assertions with links to primary miliar but fascinating process. The respect for many mainstream journal- sources; the absence of such links is flow of information was changing ists, concluding that they were clueless a red flag. fast in front of us, and reporters, of about the emerging online medium. • Good bloggers lay out their back- all people, needed to become experts Members of the public, instead of grounds and biases in a stream of in navigating that flow. enjoying a smooth transition guided by posts over the years, allowing readers Journalists should have been leaders the journalists they knew and trusted, to decide where they can be trusted in teaching others how to gauge the found themselves asked to take sides and where they lose their bearings. trustworthiness of information in this in an intramedia feud. • Every page on Wikipedia—the col- exciting but anarchic new environment. In this melee, everyone lost. Today’s lectively assembled and edited online Instead, they were making awful public newsrooms are full of journalists with encyclopedia—has a “discussion” mistakes themselves, such as this one, considerably more Web experience and tab where users can see who has and then scapegoating the Internet. online savvy than their predecessors, challenged what and a “history” tab but the “blame the Web” reflex is now that shows every change to the page’s Breakdown of Trust deeply embedded in the media-profes- information. sional psyche, emerging on cue each This Salinger flap set me on a tra- time some hapless journalist makes a The comments area found be- jectory, for the next several years, of Salingeresque mistake. low most Web articles and posts chronicling the triangular breakdown Fortunately, we now have a wide provides a natural space for give-and- of trust I saw unfolding among the range of reasonably sophisticated tools take about possible errors, omissions media, the Web, and the general public. and approaches for rating the quality and problems with the coverage—and Journalists thought they could defend of information on the Web. Here are how a site handles such issues is another

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 45 Journalism and Social Media

Dublin student inserted a bogus quote MediaBugs: Correcting Errors and Conversing into the Wikipedia entry for composer Maurice Jarre, who had just passed The Knight News Challenge describes create a conversation between away. Wikipedia’s moderators did a Rosenberg’s MediaBugs project: the reporter and the person pretty good job of removing the un- who submitted the error, and sourced quotation, but not before it All journalists make mistakes, then show whether corrections had been picked up by a depressingly but they sometimes view admit- or changes resulted. high number of news outlets for use ting errors as a mark of shame. in their Jarre obituaries. MediaBugs aims to change this MediaBugs will launch a pilot proj- Surely, in 2009, working journalists climate, by promoting transpar- ect in the San Francisco Bay Area in must understand how to use Wikipedia. ency and providing recognition late 2009 or early 2010, and once it It was easy to discover that this quota- for those who admit and fix begins people will be able report er- tion had been added to the Jarre page their mistakes. … Comments rors in any news report—online and after the composer’s passing; one click will be tracked to see if they offline.  on the page’s “history” tab brought up all the information you’d need. Appa- rently, not a single obit writer of the way to decide whom to trust. jectivity mean that most newspaper many who used the quotation bothered Anonymous sources remain as sus- bylines remain opaque in comparison to make that simple inquiry. pect online as they are in any other with the full profiles we have for our The quotes would most likely have medium, but new opportunities to favorite bloggers. Newsroom culture stood, uncorrected, had the student examine who links to any site and remains committed to delivering a prankster not notified the publications what they say about it often yield finished product to readers, so the of their error himself. That’s depres- insights, even about sites that don’t Wikipedia-style “discussion” and “his- sing enough in itself. It’s even sadder tell us their authors’ names. tory” pages aren’t an option. And the when we realize that, 13 years since These customs and practices for comments feature on most newspaper Salinger’s mistake, there are still so assessing the trustworthiness of in- sites serves as an outlet for readers to many journalists who know less than formation online have evolved in the vent frustration, rather than an arena their readers do about how to read years since Salinger’s gaffe. Throughout for collaboration between readers and critically online.  that time, journalists have also often journalists. found themselves in a defensive crouch, All this has left editors and reporters Scott Rosenberg is the author of “Say unwilling or unable to embrace the employed by traditional news organiza- Everything: How Blogging Began, Web’s new techniques. Large media tions scratching their heads, wonder- What It’s Becoming, and Why It companies spent years discouraging ing how it is that their time-honored Matters,” published by Crown this outbound links from their Web sites, approaches have continued to lose summer. He was awarded a Knight citing business reasons, and they still trust and readers, while new-media News Challenge grant for his project, lag behind. Newsroom traditions of upstarts multiply and thrive. MediaBugs. impersonality and aspirations to ob- Earlier this year, a 22-year-old

Confessing Errors in a Digital Age ‘With accuracy as the foundation of media credibility, setting the record straight is essential to restoring trust that is eroded by errors.’

BY SCOTT R. MAIER

Accuracy is our goal, and can- budsman, Andy Alexander, discovered some was akin to “sending a correction dor is our defense,” proclaims a backlog of hundreds of correction request into a black hole.” The Washington Post’s credo for requests; a few dated back to 2004. Rest assured that the Post won’t “handling corrections and doing so In his column, “A Corrections Process be lonely in digging deep into this promptly. Imagine the chagrin when in Need of Correcting,” Alexander black hole. News errors rarely are earlier this year the newspaper’s om- observed that reporting inaccuracy for corrected. In a study I did of factual

46 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Earning Trust errors reported to 10 daily newspapers, recent study that Philip Meyer and I to their attention? Too often, very I found that nearly all—97 percent— conducted of 22 newspapers, found an little. Of 130 news stories in which went uncorrected. Nevertheless, survey error rate among the highest in seven the news sources said they informed research indicates the majority of U.S. decades of accuracy research: over 59 the newspapers of factual inaccuracy, newspaper editors and reporters be- percent of local news and feature stories complaints yielded only four published lieve that a correction “always” follows were found by news sources to have corrections. In other words, the correc- a detected error. This level of faith at least one error.1 Still to be assessed tions rate budged barely higher (three is not widely shared by newspaper by research is the toll on accuracy percent compared to two percent) readers. brought by newsroom staff reductions when sources reported factual errors It’s important to understand why and the concurrent expansion to 24/7 than when they did not inform the newspapers have tended to fall short operations producing print and digital newspaper of errors. on their perceived commitment to editions of the news. correct what they got wrong the first There are few incentives to ac- time around. And in a time when Hesitancy in offering corrections: In a knowledge errors. Even quality news- anybody can easily post—and pass follow-up study, I tracked 1,220 news papers often lack a system or culture along—news and information online stories identified by news sources of vigilance when handling reported (usually without an editor’s scrutiny), as being factually flawed. Of those, errors. As Alexander noted in his the need is greater than ever to set in corrections were published for 23 of Washington Post column, “Account- place a coherent system of correcting them, a corrections rate slightly below ability is lacking. Reporters and editors errors—despite the digital practi- two percent. can neglect correction requests with tioners’ assurances about the Web’s little consequence. Correction rates inherent self-correcting nature. Hesitancy in demanding corrections: are not typically raised in performance With accuracy as the foundation of Journalists and news organizations evaluations.” media credibility, setting the record are often unaware of the errors they’ve straight is essential to restoring trust made. In our cross-market examina- Corrections Online that is eroded by errors. The code of tion of accuracy in U.S. newspapers, ethics of the Society of Professional Meyer and I found that only about The corrections system is often flawed Journalists states: “Admit mistakes one in 10 news sources informed the in print journalism, but the checks and and correct them promptly.” newspaper of errors that they’d identi- balances needed to assure accuracy So, if corrections are agreed to be fied. While many errors were consid- are arguably even more haphazard a fundamental contract of journalism, ered too inconsequential to correct, with the journalism that news orga- then why have newspapers shown news sources also expressed a sense nizations display online. In a survey themselves to be hesitant, at times, to of futility; either a correction would of 155 U.S. newspapers, my colleague acknowledge their errors? I’d propose do little to set the record straight, or John Russial found that in only half a few explanations: worse, that their complaints would of the newsrooms were stories posted draw reprisal from the newspaper.2 online always copyedited. Among Unwillingness to recognize that errors The study’s findings are consistent larger newspapers (circulation above are numerous: Journalists err more with a large-scale public survey by 100,000), a quarter reported they often than many in the profession Associated Press Managing Editors, never copyedit online stories. Blogs acknowledge—or even realize. The first in which many people told pollsters received even less scrutiny—only one step in overcoming inaccuracy is to that they don’t contact newspapers third of editors said they copyedit these recognize that errors in the press are about mistakes. Web postings. This sharply contrasts far more numerous than the “correc- with the print tradition of having all tions box’’ would indicate. Industry and Reader complaints are often ignored stories, including staff columns and scholarly research have documented or denied: The news media can hardly guest op-eds, be edited for accuracy, time and time again that errors in be expected to correct errors they style, taste and libel. the news media are disturbingly com- do not know were made. But what “Unlike reporters and photogra- mon. The largest accuracy audit, a happens when mistakes are brought phers, copyeditors have not been

1 This study, “Accuracy Matters: A Cross-Market Assessment of Newspaper Error and Credibility,” was published in the Autumn 2005 issue of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and in Meyer’s book, “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age” (University of Missouri Press, 2004). 2 The article, “Setting the Record Straight: When the Press Errs, Do Corrections Follow?” can be read at www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/9/1/5/3/ pages91538/p91538-1.php.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 47 Journalism and Social Media

invited to participate in the online to recognize what the new permanence policy to identify and correct mistakes revolution at many newspapers. That means for errors and corrections, and in broadcasts and on the Web, the failure might have serious implica- act accordingly.” network reports that its corrections’ tions for the quality of newspapers,” page had nearly as many error posts Russial dryly concludes in an article Improving Accuracy in one month as it had during the published in the Newspaper Research entire preceding two years. And The Journal.3 News accuracy is an age-old challenge, Washington Post whittled its huge cor- Many bloggers contend that online now heightened by the online realities rections backlog after summoning 30 news needs less editorial oversight be- of real-time, multimedia reporting by editors and staff for “remedial train- cause readers quickly point out errors citizens as well as professional journal- ing” on how reported errors should and content is corrected in real time. ists. While it’s not plausible, or perhaps be handled. “We need to realize that journalism and even desirable, for every news error to Digital practitioners should recog- the telling of a news story is a process, be detected and corrected, clearly the nize that it isn’t sufficient just to update and we don’t have to wait until we have profession—in print and online—can content as mistakes are discovered. If everything before we publish,” writes and should do better. time doesn’t permit traditional copy- Mathew Ingram in a PoynterOnline Minimizing errors by figuring out editing, then a system of “back edit- column with the provocative headline, why they happen and doing what it ing” should be implemented so that “Break Journalism Rules When You all content benefits from an editor’s Blog?” Ingram continues: “That eye. Mistakes should not only be doesn’t mean we should stop at tell- promptly corrected but also explicitly ing just part of a story, of course; acknowledged in the story. but it is fine to publish something News accuracy is an age-old Then there is the now-legendary short, then update, edit and correct. claim that the interactive nature of That’s what wire services do, after challenge, now heightened digital media makes mistakes quicker all.” A responsible blogger, Ingram by the online realities of real- to be identified and corrected. This adds, acknowledges mistakes and premise needs to be tested and corrects them. time, multimedia reporting by evaluated by independent research. Still, a clear standard for handling In the meantime, communication online errors is lacking. As freelance citizens as well as professional scholars also can help identify and journalist and author Craig Silver- journalists. evaluate ways to proactively curb man notes in his “Regret the Error” inaccuracy as well as to encourage column, news organizations often corrections when errors are made, “scrub” their errors online. This whether in print or online. means that an entire story can disap- Technological change does not pear without explanation when it has takes to get the story right at the start fundamentally alter the need to publicly been found to have been erroneously is, of course, the best solution. As ab- confront these errors. As The Wash- reported. Yet, others not only quickly surdly obvious as it might sound, the ington Post states in its corrections correct errors but acknowledge within evidence supports it wholeheartedly. policy: “We have an affirmative obliga- the article what had been previously Research shows that error rates fall tion to make corrections, not just to misreported. Unformulated, too, are markedly when two things happen: avoid repeating them. Confessing error accepted standards for correcting as- enhances our credibility with readers, sertions made in citizen videos, blogs 1. Reporters take the time to recheck and humbles us appropriately.”  and other forms of social media.4 their work sentence by sentence. Silverman argues that acknowl- 2. Reporters and editors are held ac- Scott R. Maier is an associate profes- edgement of inaccuracy is even more countable for mistakes when they sor at the University of Oregon School essential in an online world than in occur. of Journalism and Communication. print because it is virtually impossible He worked for nearly 20 years as a to erase erroneous information posted Ensuring prompt corrections is an- newspaper and wire service reporter on the Internet. He writes: “Online other good remedy. It might also seem in Seattle, where he acknowledges hav- errors don’t disappear like yesterday’s obvious, but when National Public ing made more than his share of errors print edition. News organizations need Radio last year adopted a vigorous requiring correction.

3 Russial’s article, “Copy Editing Not Great Priority for Online Stories,” was published in the Spring 2009 edition of Newspaper Research Journal. 4 Silverman wrote “Reliable News: Errors Aren’t Part of the Equation” in the Spring 2009 Nieman Reports.

48 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 SPREADING THE NEWS | Impact and Engagement

Blogging Communities Spurred to Action ‘Coverage of civil rights and social justice issues could be made the core of a digital news organization, national or global in scope.’

BY LEONARD WITT

his could be the finest era to be a journalist. My daughter, Emily Witt, a recent graduate of the TColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism, got a summer gig at ProPublica. Her first coauthored story highlighted proposed cuts to Califor- nia’s state crime lab and was picked up by The Huffington Post. Within 24 hours there were 177 comments. Think back just 10 years: To write a story and receive 177 letters would have been a miracle. Frankly, it never happened in my 30-year career. Veteran reporter Howard Witt, this time no relation, experienced his own social media miracle. Working out of the Chicago Tribune’s Houston bureau, he wrote a story about Shaquanda Cotton, a 14-year-old black girl who pushed a hall monitor at her school and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Pretty harsh punishment for a push. The real twist in this story, however, was that this same sentenc- ing judge put a 14-year-old white girl on probation after she burned down More than 20,000 people went to Jena, Louisiana, in September 2007 to support the her family’s house. “Jena Six,” a group of black teenagers charged with the attempted murder of a white He filed the story, knowing it was a classmate after a fight. The protestors came together largely through social media, with no good one, but, as he told me in a video central organizer, after Chicago Tribune reporter Howard Witt wrote about the case and 1 interview, he didn’t expect much reac- alerted the African-American blogosphere. Photo by Ann Heisenfelt/The Associated Press. tion. What happened next surprised him. “Within a matter of a couple of days I started to get hundreds of e-mails actually distributing that story.” media is part of their daily milieu. from people who had encountered Turns out that the African-American For Witt, witnessing the power of the that story through e-mails, through blogosphere picked up Witt’s story, African-American blogosphere was blogs, through places far removed and it had gone viral. So much fervor an epiphany. So when he traveled to from the Chicago Tribune’s Web site. erupted over the apparent injustice that Jena, Louisiana, to report on six black … I started to realize there was this in three weeks Cotton was released teenagers charged with attempted network of blogs out there devoted from prison. murder following a fight at a high to African-American issues that were For my daughter’s generation, social school, he didn’t wait for the blog-

1 Watch Leonard Witt’s interview with Howard Witt at http://pjnet.org/post/1841.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 49 Journalism and Social Media

social justice issues could be made the core of a digital news organization, national or global in scope. Or the creation of such content could be done in partner- ship with other journalistic enterprises. In an interview I did with John Yemma, edi- tor of The Christian Science Monitor, he said that his online newsroom of about 80 people costs about $7 million a year. With that as a gauge, a 20-person “newsroom” could exist for about $2 million a year. What percentage of the 20,000 people who came to Jena might want to become owners of such a journalistic cooperative with a stable The Reverend Al Sharpton, center, flanked by radio personality Michael Baisden and Melissa Bell, of editors, investigative re- the mother of one of the “Jena Six,” walked in protest in Jena, Louisiana. Photo by Alex Brandon/The porters, and feature writers Associated Press. whose job it would be to cover these beats? The civil rights and social gers to find him; he e-mailed them a related question: If people organize justice story well runs deep and its to suggest they read his stories from themselves for social justice, will they issues are complex. What follows are Jena. In time, word spread through do the same to support—which in some starter ideas, stories that even this blogging community and the this case means invest in—journalism now don’t receive the attention they young men became known as the “Jena that gives people reliable information should: Six.” Soon, more than 20,000 people about civil rights and social justice? descended upon the tiny town of Jena After all, if Witt (or another reporter) • The prison industrial complex where to protest, some riding more than 20 is not there to report these stories, it’s thousands of people languish for hours on buses. As far as Witt could unlikely that the injustice Shaquanda selling a few joints or for having a tell, the protest organized itself with Cotton faced or the trial of the Jena drug habit no central leader. Six would have generated this kind • The immigrants, who will, in time, Of course, these events would not of public response. Yet, in working save the United States from aging come as a surprise to New York Uni- for the Chicago Tribune, his job is itself out of existence versity professor Clay Shirky, who wrote hardly secure. [Witt has since left the • The buyout story in which older the book, “Here Comes Everybody: Tribune and is now senior managing workers are cast out because they The Power of Organizing Without editor for Stars and Stripes.] cost too much. Organizations,” which was published If reporting jobs aren’t there for my last year. Nor would it surprise Howard daughter and her peers, will such sto- Or stories similar to those Barbara Rheingold whose book, “Smart Mobs: ries be told? In some ways, it is ironic Ehrenreich highlights in her book The Next Social Revolution,” published that only when the crowd recognizes “Nickel and Dimed” and reinforced in 2003, says in a nutshell, “Smart the invaluable role that high-quality in her New York Times op-ed, “Too mobs consist of people who are able journalism plays in social action— Poor to Make the News.” There, she to act in concert even if they don’t and realizes that such reporting isn’t paraphrased a social justice worker know each other.” done for free—will social media and in Los Angeles: journalism become truly linked in Investing in Social Justice common purpose. The already poor … the un- Reporting Would this crowd be willing to documented immigrants, the invest in journalism—to “own” news- sweatshop workers, the janitors, This notion of crowd action being rooms like fans own the Green Bay maids and security guards had propelled by online exchanges raises Packers? Coverage of civil rights and all but ‘disappeared’ from both

50 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Spreading the News

the news media and public policy Harnisch Foundation, believes enough is in place to greet them with the discussions. in community-supported journalism “ask” to potential investors—then a that she provided a $1.5 million pledge grand experiment in democracy will Will those marginalized by race, to enable me to start the Center for be launched, and it will be grounded ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw in an emerging model of sustainable age discrimination, or economic cir- State University, outside of Atlanta. journalism. cumstance decide it is in their interest This center has the capacity to develop Interested in joining? We are ready to become part of a community-sup- such a project. From the Jena protest, to begin.  ported journalism cooperative devoted we know the crowd exists. And we to covering social justice issues? Of know that in the African-American Leonard Witt holds the Robert D. course, the promise on the other side blogosphere—and other blogging Fowler Distinguished Chair in Com- of the equation would be adherence to communities—resides the power for munication at Kennesaw State Uni- the standards and ethical practices of self-organizing. If these various online versity and is the founder of the Center journalism and a rejection of pressures communities can find ways to come for Sustainable Journalism at http:// to act as a public relations’ vehicle. together in common purpose—and a sustainablejournalism.org. Ruth Ann Harnisch, president of the social justice journalism infrastructure

Internet Censorship: The Myth, Oft Told, and the Reality Protests in Iran and China have spotlighted the use of social media, showing its power in finding ways to push information past barriers set up by government.

BY FONS TUINSTRA

he political situations and protests in Tehran, Iran and Xinjiang, China unfolded as this summer Tbegan. So, too, did the latest round in the inevitable clash of the Inter- net’s borderless communications and governments’ attempt to rein them in. Similar tensions from earlier confrontations offer glimpses of the complicated relationship between the power of the Web and the question of how authoritarian rulers exert their power in return. Follow reports on Internet censor- ship, and the road leads not only to China, Kenya and Iran, where gov- ernments have attempted to clamp down on the use of social media, but to Australia, Germany and the United States, where companies develop soft- ware to enable such censorship. In such stories resides the illusion that the Internet actually can and will be The Chinese government sent security forces to Urumqi, the capital of western Xinjiang controlled. This myth of control is province, in early July after ethnic riots left nearly 200 dead. Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/The perpetuated by many in the old media, Associated Press.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 51 Journalism and Social Media

some of whom must be hoping, as they to hold. Drastic cuts in funding for on commerce and the economy. North tell these stories, that their top-down foreign correspondents have had an Korea is the only country that has approach to news gathering and dis- impact on the quality and diversity fully controlled the Internet, though tribution still has a chance against the of reporting. Now, this force of online few countries seem to be willing to tsunami of people-generated informa- scrutiny cannot be stopped. Attempts follow its example. tion that has devastated so many legacy to block it are answered with new, Throughout the rest of China, the media brands and likely will destroy inventive ways around whatever bar- response of the telecommunication more in the years ahead. (Of course, riers are constructed. operators was more moderate during there is also the the Xinjiang cri- argument that sis. Twitter, You- when freedom Tube, some local of information clones of Twitter, and press is at and a few other stake, siding with sites were shut those who urge down for a time. restraint seems I watched as the odd. But let’s not number of tweets make things too from China was complicated.) reduced a bit, but In the telling after three hours of this Internet they were up to censorship story, speed again. Al- a psychological though the in- component is al- formation flow most certainly in was more limit- play. This is, after ed—and most of all, a time when the Western and journalists feel Chinese media their livelihood During the time of discord between ethnic Muslim Uighur people and the Han majority, mostly stuck to is under siege reports from the region indicated that Internet access was interrupted. But China’s leaders the same story from the Internet. were not successful in stopping the flow of information online. Here a woman talks on her lines they’d been Although some cell phone, a tool used by many to send news. Photo by Ng Han Guan/The Associated Press. reporting since at legacy news the start of the organizations riots—a flood of have embraced parts of the Internet, China’s Response fresh video clips, digital commentar- a foreboding fear of its power and ies, and blog posts made it around the consequences prevails. Stories about Technically, a government can shut government’s Internet barriers. the success of Internet censorship, il- down the Internet. But there are This situation was described in the lusionary as they might be, can provide reasons—economic and political— China Digital Times in early July: relief to those who feel embattled and that trump censorship and help to who hope that in some way the Inter- explain why it seldom does. China Nevertheless, many Chinese net can be controlled, in part because could have closed the entire Internet netizens are still managing to their survival depends on it. in Xinjiang province in July after riots access outside information and Such hope is misguided. Add to this there resulted in nearly 200 deaths publish their views on the situ- a trail of inaccurate reporting about and more than 1,000 wounded. In ation. For example, photographs what’s been happening in Xinjiang— fact, reports from the region indicated taken by foreign journalists are and last year in Tibet—and a crisis that the Internet was not accessible being spread online; people are of mistrust has been created. The for some time. Because Xinjiang is finding ways to post on Twitter increasingly active online community a marginal part of China, the conse- despite the site being blocked; knows the Chinese news media can- quences of temporarily bringing its and netizens are still finding ways not be trusted given their government economy to a standstill are not huge to post their views to BBS forums. control. But Western media, too, are for the country as a whole. However, Overseas Chinese Web sites and systematically scrutinized for what is when China and Iran, as nations, communities are also playing a regarded as their biased reporting. experience political crisis and citizen role by posting information and In China, at least, I have observed protest, they cannot afford to close discussions, many of which can that the Western press have lost the down the digital highway of informa- find their way back into Chinese high ground of reliability they used tion given the impact this would have cyberspace.

52 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Spreading the News

Stories from Xinjiang, some true, been blocked. Earlier this year, this government’s channels for countering some not, kept arriving in my computer. happened for a short while. Such with their own messages. Some Internet users shared informa- measures prove to be not only inef- In these ways, the Internet presents tion about ways to work around the fective in terms of stopping the flow a very different medium from radio, Internet blocks, helpful to those who of information, but the economic TV and print in terms of how govern- had not yet discovered such tools. This effects of such a closure, if it was to ments respond in times of severe crisis. was testimony to the ineffectiveness of last for some time, would be massive. Whereas a government takeover of what some in the Western media were Because of this, even these impulses to broadcast stations or print publications describing as an Internet “crackdown.” undertake larger scale Internet block- is a fairly straightforward operation, In the meantime, Chinese officials, ages disappear after a short while. this isn’t so with the Internet. As the with years of experience in filtering Additionally, the Chinese have learned, Internet is teaching, conversation rules. the Internet, were practicing well too, how to use the Internet as their Those who want to share information the lessons they’ve learned: Use their watchful eyes and ears.1 At times, the will employ whatever digital tool can force sparingly since this prevents government’s public relations officials be used to keep the flow of informa- a new generation of Internet users improve even their spin as a result tion going. Platforms still matter, but from discovering the numerous ways of using the Internet as a vehicle for they can be replaced if they are shut netizens have figured out to thwart disseminating information. Shutting down. And shutting them down isn’t their efforts. down or restraining the Internet, es- as simple as it used to be.  Every now and then, however, pecially in times of crises, would make one of China’s senior leaders panics it impossible for those eyes and ears Fons Tuinstra, who now directs the and suddenly the country finds not to pick up information about what’s China Speakers Bureau, was a foreign only Twitter, but even Google has happening, and it would shut down the correspondent in Shanghai.

1 In the Winter 2006 Nieman Reports, Tuinstra wrote about how the Internet can strengthen the power of China’s central government in “Puzzling Contradictions of China’s Internet Journalism.”

Engaging Youth in Social Media: Is Facebook the New Media Frontier? A research project creates experimental applications for Facebook to learn whether the news habit can be fostered online and lead to civic engagement.

BY CHRISTINE GREENHOW AND JEFF REIFMAN

ike many young people her age, news.” For Jackie, it’s a go-to social me- site her “everyday RSS habit,” a place Jackie, who is 18, admits that she’s dia site within her Facebook network. she goes to read and post. not one to put pen to paper, turn She goes there, she told us, to “check Counter to the decline in young Lthe pages of The New York Times, or in to see what articles other people had people reading anything printed on devour a paperback on a lazy summer posted and to read their comments” on paper—whether news or books—is a afternoon. Yet on a Thursday morning thoughts she had shared. Once there, notable increase in out-of-school online before school, she logged into Hot she reads stories about climate change, reading and writing through fanfiction Dish,1 a youth-oriented Facebook app comments on them, and easily shares (at fanfiction.net, for example) and that serves up “the hottest climate news with her friends. She calls this social networking sites.2 Yet, accord-

1 Hot Dish can be found at http://apps.facebook.com/hotdish. 2 A report entitled “To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence,” issued by the National Endowment for the Arts in November 2007, explored these issues. The report can be read at www.nea.gov/research/ToRead.pdf.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 53 Journalism and Social Media

ing to The Pew Research Center for • To discover which strategies work importantly, we need to measure the the People & the Press, more than best to engage 16- to 25-year-olds success of our efforts. one third of people under 25 get no in current events and information In a meet-them-where-they-are news on a daily basis. Yet, teens spend • To understand how to deliver edu- spirit, we developed Facebook applica- many hours each week online—a recent cational materials in innovative and tions to provide young people with the British study estimated the number at effective ways ability to easily do the following: 31—especially on Facebook, which is • To build community through social the most-trafficked social media site media. • Post news stories and articles they in the world. write to a niche network within Fa- We wondered if young people could The Experiments Begin cebook. be persuaded to critically engage in • Vote up stories that others write. reading news and conversing about it In previous research (done by Green- • Write blog entries and comments. on Facebook. Would doing this provide how) on young people’s learning and • Interact with other users on online them with a sense of community? literacy within social network sites,3 discussion boards, chats and Twit- Furthermore, would their involvement it was found that teens and tweens ter. • Earn points for engaging in these and other activities.

As a way to observe community involvement and patterns of use and to collect information for our research, we developed software to track, re- cord and archive the users’ activities. When all of this was in place, our two community-focused Facebook applications were launched—Hot Dish and MN Daily. The MN Daily was created to supplement the University of Minnesota’s student-run paper, The Minnesota Daily, and its Web site, Using grant money from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Greenhow and Reif- mndaily.com. man developed Hot Dish, a Facebook application focused on news about climate change. Users receive points for sharing stories and blog posts; the user with the highest point total Hot Dish wins a trip to the Arctic. Climate change issues garner interna- tional attention. But as fewer youths translate into real-world actions or are Facebooking for more than just engage daily with current affairs than consist solely of virtual activism? And, informal socializing, pet photography, did a decade ago, there are questions if we understood better how young the occasional “thumbs-up,” tag, or about how to engage them in keep- people decide how to handle, produce diatribe. They are also “Faceworking,” ing up with news about these issues. and talk through information online, a term that Neil Selwyn, a sociologist So we created Hot Dish, an online would we be any closer to knowing at the London Knowledge Lab, coined community where those interested in how to develop successful media-rich this year. The word describes what environmental issues can share articles, and educational environments? happens when people intentionally put learn about climate change, take action With these questions and goals their social networking site to work, for online and in the physical world, and in mind, in 2008, with a generous example, when they seek or promote win eco-conscious prizes. grant from the John S. and James L. information, problem-solving, peer- Launched on February 27, 2009, Knight Foundation, we embarked on sharing, and creative inspiration. Hot Dish’s features encourage reading, a pioneering social media experiment. If we want to inform, educate and writing and sharing information and Our goals were: mobilize an engaged citizenry—as the experiences. The Seattle-based online vision for active participation in solving magazine Grist.org provides environ- • To create and launch two cutting 21st century challenges—then we need mental stories daily. Those who come edge Facebook news community to make sharing news and experiences to Hot Dish participate in challenges applications fit easily into young people’s lives. Most where they can earn points for civic

3 Greenhow’s research studies are available at www.cgreenhow.org/research.

54 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Spreading the News engagement and local activism, such as writing a letter to the editor, writ- ing lawmakers, starting a recycling program, or recycling old electronics. The most active user wins a trip to the Arctic. At its peak, Hot Dish attracted about 5,000 active monthly users, including 150 Facebook fans. By midsummer, it had 1,157 registered members, and in a two-month period between March and May, 346 Hot Dish participants (ages 16-25) joined its action team. During this time, users posted and shared 3,600 news stories, wrote more than 2,200 comments and blog entries, and completed 1,800 eco-challenges.

MN Daily

Launched on March 29, 2009, The MN Daily on Facebook is a place where users receive campus-related stories from The Minnesota Daily and other sources. Here they can sign up to become members of the Daily Action As part of a research study to find out if young people would read news, converse about it on Team, earn points for reading, writing Facebook, and be motivated to get involved, MN Daily on Facebook was launched in March and sharing online or for participat- 2009. It can be read at http://apps.facebook.com/mndaily. ing in their community. As with Hot Dish, users can redeem those points for prizes. As of midsummer, The Daily on Facebook had 1,123 registered media are doing a better job than and distribute their content to make members and 155 had signed on to other sites and forms of online com- it more engaging for those who are the action team. A bump in member- munity in catalyzing youth-initiated growing up in the era of Facebook? ship is expected when classes resume conversation. These are key questions that both in the fall. educators and journalists might be As we analyze our findings, we’ll asking themselves as they think about Learning What Works discover how much they adhere to how to connect their job of informing or expand on this previous research. with the notion of transforming the In both cases, we’ve been steadily col- For now, we have more questions ingestion of news into the actions of lecting data from surveys, focus groups, than answers. What forms of digital public engagement.  in-depth interviews, and online usage media literacy do young people need patterns. Our analysis of these data to fully and critically participate in op- Christine Greenhow, a Harvard- is ongoing, with results from these portunities for engagement? Does the trained learning technologies re- Facebook experiments expected this existence of new ways of transmitting searcher affiliated with the University fall and publication anticipated in the news and information within existing of Minnesota, is a visiting fellow at spring or summer of 2010. social networks encourage habits of Yale University’s Information Society Here are two insights based on our news tracking and civic engagement Project and member of the Harvard- preliminary findings and review of among young people? If so, how and MIT-Yale Cyberscholar Working other studies: what can we learn from tracking the Group (www.cgreenhow.org). Jeff patterns of sharing within their com- Reifman is the founder of NewsCloud. 1. General agreement exists that there munity of friends? How might insights com, where he works on news aggrega- might be efficiencies in locating from youth-initiated public dialogue tion and community technology. He niche media-sharing communities and debate be fed back into the fram- is also a freelance writer and former within existing social networks, such ing of these issues? How could these Microsoft and MSNBC group program as Facebook. online youth experiences inform the manager (www.reifman.org). 2. Findings indicate that niche social ways that the news media produce

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 55 WORDS & REFLECTIONS

Afghanistan-ism: An Apt Metaphor for Foreign News Reporting When independent judgment isn’t valued in the work journalists do overseas, the consequences for the nation can be devastating.

BY JOHN MAXWELL HAMILTON

How We Missed the Story: In newsroom argot, “Afghanistan- on our home soil. After being Osama bin Laden, the Tali- ism” is shorthand for stories about attacked and overreaching, the ban, and the Hijacking of distant places that editors dismiss Bush team was outmaneuvered Afghanistan as irrelevant. In looking for the by bin Laden and the Taliban, Roy Gutman roots of 9/11 or our current war who retreated into Afghanistan’s United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan, the dismissive rugged mountains. Press. 304 Pages. word is now grimly ironic. But Gutman does not excuse The starting point for any such the press in his aptly named “How inquiry, Roy Gutman, foreign We Missed the Story: Osama editor for McClatchy Newspa- bin Laden, the Taliban, and pers, tells us in his book-length the Hijacking of Afghanistan.” exploration, is with our political The press’s failure, he argues, is leaders. In true bipartisanship “one of the greatest lapses in the they adopted the concept of modern history of the profession.” Afghanistan-ism, if not the term As the editor of Nieman Reports itself. President Bill Clinton suggested when she asked me walked into the White House to write this essay, those lapses hoping not to be distracted by lend themselves to a broader foreign affairs. He was, said discussion of foreign reporting former national security adviser and the increased potential for Zbigniew Brzezinski in 1994, more of the same. “the most disengaged president Gutman has a distinguished in my lifetime.” His administra- career—a Pulitzer Prize for tion vaguely understood and International Reporting and a never formulated a sophisticated George Polk Award for foreign response to Osama bin Laden’s reporting—in covering difficult- efforts to build a base in Af- to-report stories, such as his ghanistan for his anti-American “ethnic cleansing” reporting in jihad. Newsday after the breakup of As we are now painfully aware, Yugoslavia. He uses those same the Bush administration was hap- skills in this book to surface poi- py getting its hands dirty abroad. gnant examples of news media Even with this mindset—which failure.1 assumed so much American One of the most telling is power—it did not heed warnings the bin Laden-supported mas- that anticipated al-Qaeda attacks sacre of some 2,000 villagers in

1 In the Spring 2007 issue of Nieman Reports, Gutman highlighted infor- mation from a chapter entitled “Silence Cannot be the Strategy” as part of the magazine’s collection of articles about the challenges journalists confront in reporting from Afghanistan.

56 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections

Foreign News Reporting: Its Past Can Guide Its Future

America’s tradition of foreign affairs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. reporting is on full display in John Hamilton peppers his work with Maxwell Hamilton’s “Journalism’s Rov- anecdotes from the diverse cast of ing Eye: A History of American Foreign characters who inhabited the various Reporting,” published by Louisiana eras of foreign coverage, demonstrating State University Press. their techniques and hindrances. “Since the first days of colonial “In this evolution troubling mu- newspapering, when printers hustled tations appeared,” Hamilton writes. down to the wharfs to collect mail and “Richard Harding Davis, whose tal- European periodicals from incoming ent for reporting and flair for self- ships, the processes of gathering foreign promotion solidified the image of news have been a work in progress, the knowledgeable, swashbuckling although not every step has been a step correspondent during the Spanish- forward,” Hamilton writes in the book’s American War, morphed into Fox introduction. To that end, he details News’s buffoonish Geraldo Rivera, who both the successes and the failures covered the post-9/11 U.S. invasion of the foreign press, as technological, of Afghanistan toting pearl-handled ideological and other impairments got pistols and looking for any opportunity between them and the story. to appear macho on camera.” Particular attention is paid to As much as the book deals with the how-to guide, the book uses the trials the evolution of war correspondents history of foreign correspondence, it of the past to illuminate the many through time, from the battles and is also aimed at educating the next scenarios that can plague the future. wars of the nation’s earliest days on generation of globetrotting scribes. —Jonathan Seitz through the multimedia blitzkrieg of While not configured as a step-by-step,

Mazar-i-Sharif, a portentous event. foreign affairs, where public expertise ing of North Vietnam. His Pentagon- Finding out what actually happened is relatively limited. It sets policy rattling stories revealed that, contrary was a challenge that almost no jour- and generally gets the last word in to government pronouncements, the nalist took on. One of the very few any debate. When the White House bombs hit civilian targets and that this who did provided Newsweek with a and Congress are mostly on the same only stiffened the enemy’s resolve. But well-documented story that editors page, as in the run-up to the Iraq War, Salisbury had to fight headwinds in squeezed into a brief in the “Periscope” journalists are constrained in intro- his own organization and was denied section. In that issue of the magazine, ducing alternative points of view into a deserved Pulitzer Prize because he the focus was on Clinton’s problems their stories. Reporters never have to was seen as a traitor. with Monica Lewinsky. justify quoting an official. But quoting To understand why it might be nonofficial naysayers starts to fall into more difficult now to deviate from the Foreign Reporting and the category of subjectivity. Why this government line, it is useful to draw Government Policy naysayer and not that one? a comparison with the years between Going against the official consen- the world wars. Then, a wide range of “News organizations are free agents,” sus thrusts journalists into the role media had an interest in foreign news— Gutman writes, “able to decide what of crusaders and, in the case of war, magazines, newspapers, several news to cover and how to cover it.” So, why unpatriotic crusaders. “A great news- services and, by the end of the period, do journalists find it so difficult to use paper is to some extent a political fledgling radio. Correspondents, many that freedom to challenge government institution,” former New York Times of them freelancers who earned good leaders who are reluctant to address Managing Editor Turner Catledge once livings, stayed overseas for years, ac- pressing issues or, worse, are using said. “To maintain its power it must quiring expertise and operating with all their powers to push an errant use it sparingly.” a great deal of independence. One of policy? Journalism has inspiring examples the best correspondents of this era This isn’t a new problem. Basically of those who’ve bucked authority. One is was Vincent Sheean. In foreseeing stated, the executive branch has enor- the Times’ Harrison Salisbury with his the impending World War II, Sheean mous control over the news agenda in reporting on the United States bomb- observed, “International journalism

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 57 Words & Reflections

George Weller Reported on World War II From Five Continents

George Weller was a highly praised by Crown in the spring. As Anthony novelist who was fluent in a number Weller writes in the foreword, “Hav- of languages when the Chicago Daily ing begun as a novelist, [my father] News sent him overseas in 1940 at age had more literary style than most 33 to cover World War II. reporters.’’ His name is not well known today, A 1948 Nieman Fellow, Weller dem- but it should be. As Walter Cronkite onstrated a flair for human interest wrote, Weller was “not only one of features as well as on-the-battleground our best war correspondents but he accounts. In 1943, he won a Pulitzer had that quality that imbued his copy Prize for Reporting for his gripping ac- with lasting importance. He wrote in count of an emergency appendectomy the present tense but always with the performed in a submarine by a U.S. recognition that he was writing the Navy pharmacist’s mate consulting a history of his time.” medical manual. Fortunately, Anthony Weller has Weller was captured. He was put together and edited a collection censored. He fell deathly ill. Yet of his father’s war reporting. The hefty he remained firm in his belief that “Weller’s War: A Legendary Foreign reporting on the war was the best Correspondent’s Saga of World War way for him to serve his country.  II on Five Continents” was published —Jan Gardner

was more alert than international had wanted to. International telephone not like the old days, he said, when statesmanship.” lines did not work well enough. whatever a correspondent sent in was Today, there are few Sheeans. Cor- published. respondents go abroad in smaller num- The New News Cycle The result is that the agenda for bers and tend not to stay as long. Some correspondents is more frequently have great expertise, but the number Now, with modern satellite commu- set by editors, whose agenda is set of those who do is relatively smaller nication and the ability to file stories by other news media (“quick, match than it was. As important—and this instantly, correspondents can be in that”) and is collectively more in tune development has not received enough touch with the home office all day with Washington than, say, Kabul. The attention—correspondents operate on long, if the editor wants them to be— Washington Post’s Jonathan Randal a much shorter leash. and typically they do. “We now live described how, during the first Iraq Until recently, The (Baltimore) in a nanosecond news cycle,” David War, his paper’s “top brass … convinced Sun was one of many newspapers Hoffman, assistant managing editor themselves they had a better overall with distinguished if modest-sized for foreign news at The Washington grasp of events than their men on the foreign services. Part of the tradition, Post, explained to me recently. Re- spot and wrote the overall lead story embodied in one of its well-respected porting from afar now means being from Washington,” among other things managing editors, Buck Dorsey, was an “information warrior.” The Post’s overstating the accuracy of so-called that correspondents were on their correspondents write first and often “smart” bombs. own. He typically responded to re- for the Web and then for the paper. “I unashamedly pine for the old quests for guidance this way: “Please In view of space shortages in the cable office or the telex in the Third stop asking me to write letters. Love, newspaper, stories destined for print World that shut down at nightfall in Dorsey.” This attitude of giving foreign must be carefully crafted. Unless the the 1950’s and 1960’s and allowed me reporters a freer rein was typical of news from overseas demands scarce to get drunk or read poetry without many newspapers. real estate in the next day’s paper, fear of an editor’s intrusion until the Correspondents considered such Hoffman has to plan to get foreign next morning,” Randal added. “That editorial independence a perk and news into the paper. Each day he free time also allowed me time to affectionately remembered the editors tries to have phone conversations meet and read about the people I who granted it. In reality, though, edi- with two of his correspondents. And was covering.” tors had little choice. They could not he expects a Monday memo outlining The improved ability to com- have controlled correspondents if they their plans, which he will modify. It’s municate has pluses. Editors create

58 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections better-coordinated packages of foreign The problems presented by im- trends that policymakers might have reporting. No longer do they need proved communications are as old as missed or may ignore. to worry that free-roaming corre- the telegraph. In the mid-19th century, “Obscure, faraway conflicts have spondents will trip over each other, William Howard Russell foreshadowed given rise to the evils of this era … as as happened during the 1950s when the laments of modern reporters who well as the seeds of far bigger wars,” three of the Sun’s foreign correspon- must first write quickly for the Web. “I Gutman warns in writing about the dents assigned themselves to cover the cannot explain to you,” Russell wrote perils of Afghanistan-ism. The pre- same Geneva summit meeting. Better his editor at The Times of London, cipitous decline in the number of cor- communication also has facilitated the “the paralyzing effects of sitting down respondents reporting for traditional rise of new types of correspondents to write a letter after you have sent off news media should concern us, but who offer some promise for improving the bones of it by lightning.” Speed and as Gutman’s book reminds us, it is the flow of news. A prime example is efficiency, a hallmark of assembly-line also the content of this reporting that GlobalPost, a Boston-based enterprise production, do not produce the most has been worrisome in recent years. that recently began to deliver articles, profound journalism. As we look ahead, those journalists photographs, video and audio over Foreign news reporting is not pre- sending foreign news to an Ameri- the Web by drawing on contract cor- dictable in the way White House news can audience—whether they work respondents on the ground around briefings are. Gathering news entails for newspapers, TV, radio or digital the world. a trial-and-error process of ferreting media—need to do their work indepen- Some of these freelancers are foreign out facts and impressions. Having dent of pressure from political forces journalists, which is part of another independence and the time to exercise back home. What serves us best is trend. With increasing frequency, it are especially critical for foreign when these men and women are not traditional and new media are relying correspondents whose job is to make domestic reporters working abroad but on local journalists who have deep sense of a wide range of issues, bear- true foreign correspondents.  knowledge of their country. But it is ing in mind the cultural and political far from a given that these new ap- context of the place and time, and then John Maxwell Hamilton is a longtime proaches will automatically override figure out how to convey this informa- journalist and dean of the Manship the power of editors to manage news tion to an American audience. It is School of Mass Communication at to fit a preconceived agenda. To make essential—really a matter of national Louisiana State University. His latest a decent living, freelancers and string- security—for correspondents to test book, “Journalism’s Roving Eye: A ers need to be particularly sensitive to government assumptions by indepen- History of American Foreign Report- editors’ expectations. dently gathering facts and analyzing ing,” was published in September.

The Netroots: Bloggers and the 2008 Presidential Campaign From their position in the ‘outermost reaches of the campaigns and the daily news cycle, [bloggers] managed to break into that once-impenetrable world.’ What difference did they make?

BY JOHN MCQUAID bloggers on the bus: How the Inter- eavesdropping, excessive secrecy, ret- organizing capabilities, and influential net Changed Politics and the Press rograde approaches to climate change online communities. Eric Boehlert and emergency management—Dem- The netroots—a catchy combination Free Press. 309 Pages. ocrats, liberals and former political of Internet and grassroots—is the larg- agnostics took to the ever-expanding est and most cohesive segment of this blogosphere to express their outrage. political movement, and it emerged out George W. Bush’s presidency launched Over time, the liberal blogosphere of Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential a million liberal bloggers. As Bush and became a force to be reckoned with, campaign. Its organizational DNA, Vice President Dick Cheney pursued incorporating diverse voices and argu- and even more its basic sensibility, many dubious projects—the Iraq War, ments, reporting and some investiga- proved instrumental in Barack Obama’s “harsh interrogations,” warrantless tive journalism, vast fundraising and 2008 victory. Netroots bloggers were

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 59 Words & Reflections

unapologetically liberal and skeptical devotes a chapter to Joe Anthony, a (and, at times, contemptuous) toward 28-year-old paralegal who set up a the ideological compromises Bill Clin- MySpace page for Obama and care- ton made to get support. Yet, they were fully built it into an important and pragmatic about winning elections and popular portal for the campaign, with passing legislation. its approval—until campaign officials Journalist Eric Boehlert, a senior exercised their legal rights and took fellow at the liberal watchdog group over the site, locking him out in the Media Matters for America, spent much process. Anthony was left angry and of 2008 hanging out with influential disillusioned about politics. netroots bloggers and others who, A story like this one raises an through their use of various digital interesting question: How should media, had an impact on the campaign. campaigns handle the work of vol- He profiles them in “bloggers on the unteers when they build something bus: How the Internet Changed Politics useful online? But this is hardly the and the Press,” a book self-consciously kind of revolutionary change the book modeled on “The Boys on the Bus,” purports to be documenting. In fact, Timothy Crouse’s urtext on modern it underlines how fleeting the accom- campaign coverage about the 1972 plishments of many of Boehlert’s sub- presidential race. jects are. They involve feeding frenzies Crouse’s book is justly influential, of one kind or another, in which the portraying for the first time the odd establishment media briefly go nuts customs of the modern media bubble. over something that appears online. Interestingly, Boehlert’s effort to take potential for more dynamic—and But these don’t last, and we don’t get us inside the online bubble bears only unpredictable—conversations between a sense that they really change the a superficial resemblance. Crouse’s campaigns and the public. electoral fundamentals. Meanwhile, insider journalists belonged to a One memorable moment occurred liberal bloggers spend a lot of time professional clan; Boehlert’s book is in March 2007, when a video, “Vote warring among themselves about about outsiders, most with little or Different,” was posted anonymously to whether Obama supporters’ attacks no political experience. Many of the YouTube. It was a tweaked version of on Clinton were sexist or merely nasty personalities will be familiar to those Apple’s “1984” commercial, in which politics. (Boehlert unconvincingly sides who read political blogs or followed numb, gray-clad masses listen to an with the “sexist” camp.) the 2008 campaign: influential blog- authority figure drone on from a giant gers Atrios, Digby, Jane Hamsher, and screen, until a runner bursts in, hurls The Internet and Politics Glenn Greenwald; Internet mogul a hammer, and smashes it. In this ver- Arianna Huffington; Mayhill Fowler, sion, Hillary Clinton had replaced Big So it’s hard to tell, at least from the The Huffington Post’s citizen journalist Brother. The clip ended with a link to format that Boehlert chose to tell who reported Obama’s remarks at a Obama’s Web site. At the time Clinton his story and despite his ambitious- fundraiser on how rural voters “cling was a strong frontrunner, and this sounding subtitle, precisely how the to” religion and guns. Some make a video captured some of the incipient Internet is changing politics and the living on the Internet; others were dissatisfaction with her campaign. And press. And it obviously is. For one, randomly drawn into the campaign it went viral—moving first through bloggers provide a compelling cri- orbit and then swept along, doing the netroots network, then into the tique of traditional media coverage what they do for love or enjoyment. establishment media. that has begun to have an impact. Operating in the outermost reaches Then, traditional campaign eti- Another big change is the advent of of the campaigns and the daily news quette kicked in. Who was the creator? the expert blogger, exemplified by cycle, they managed to break into that Was he or she working for Obama? Was Boehlert’s writing about lawyer Glenn once-impenetrable world. Obama attacking Clinton? It turned out Greenwald, whose blogging on the to be a 33-year-old computer graphics political maneuvering over wireless Expanding the Conversation tech named Philip de Vellis. He’d done eavesdropping laws explained what the clip on his own but was a contract was happening far better than any Presidential campaigns have limited worker for a media firm employed by journalist. Inexplicably missing from numbers of players: the candidates, the Obama campaign. He was outed “bloggers on the bus,” though, is Nate consultants and pollsters trying to and promptly fired, though said he Silver, writing at fivethirtyeight.com, influence the voting public and the had no regrets. named for the number of electoral reporters and producers who fol- This awkward insider-outsider dy- votes. His was the breakout Web site low them. The Internet creates the namic is a recurring theme. Boehlert of campaign 2008. With his innova-

60 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections tive crunching of poll numbers and political blogs and votes a party line. model is more chaotic and interactive. dispassionate analysis of the daily How many readers do the netroots, But in other ways, it didn’t change trend lines, Silver’s words became along with sites such as The Huff- much at all: Boehlert writes that as required—and obsessive—reading for ington Post, have? Who are they? the Obama campaign built its own the entire campaign world, insiders How much influence did netroots and online movement, it mostly ignored and outsiders alike. other liberal bloggers have on voting the netroots. Campaigns, after all, But here’s the intrinsic problem in itself, and is that influence felt mostly still aim to put out a consistent and evaluating the Internet’s impact on among Democratic Party faithful or controlled message. We’ll have to wait politics through Boehlert’s character- the less-differentiated center of the to see if 2008’s changes are truly the based stories: The Web is the exact political spectrum? How does the first rumblings of a bottom-up revo- opposite of the self-contained world of reach of liberal voices compare with lution.  Crouse’s bus. Individuals are important, that of their conservative/Republican but the broader panorama is more counterparts? (Boehlert contends that John McQuaid, a Washington writer, so. The Web is, after all, everywhere the conservative blogosphere hasn’t covered two presidential campaigns. in a way even Walter Cronkite never kept pace in influence or technical He is the coauthor of “Path of Destruc- could be. sophistication.) tion: The Devastation of New Orleans For instance, I’d like to know how The 2008 campaign made it clear and the Coming Age of Superstorms.” influential bloggers really are. Poll- that the old model, in which journal- He blogs at http://johnmcquaid.com/ ing shows that the vast bulk of the ists interpret campaign events for the blog. American electorate doesn’t read masses, is kaput, and that the new

An Argument Why Journalists Should Not Abandon Objectivity ‘… objectivity does not require that journalists be blank slates free of bias. In fact, objectivity is necessary precisely because they are biased.’

In “Losing the News: The Future To my mind, a great deal of what of the News that Feeds Democracy,” makes journalism good is entwined published by Oxford University with what I would term authentic Press, Alex S. Jones, a 1982 Nie- journalistic objectivity, as opposed man Fellow and director of the to the various flavors of phony or Joan Shorenstein Center on the faux objectivity. I believe it is essen- Press, Politics and Public Policy at tial that genuine objectivity should Harvard University, describes in its remain the American journalistic prologue his purpose and intent in standard, but we may be living writing about the “genuine crisis” through what could be considered in news. “It is not one of press bias, objectivity’s last stand. though that is how most people seem I define journalistic objectivity to view it,” he contends. “Rather, it as a genuine effort to be an honest is a crisis of diminishing quantity broker when it comes to news. That and quality, of morale and sense of means playing it straight without mission, of values and leadership.” favoring one side when the facts are In this excerpt from the chapter in dispute, regardless of your own “Objectivity’s Last Stand,” Jones views and preferences. It means reminds readers how objectivity doing stories that will make your assumed its role in the tradition friends mad when appropriate and of American journalism, what not doing stories that are actually hit “authentic journalistic objectivity” jobs or propaganda masquerading looks like when practiced well, and as journalism. It sometimes means why it matters so much to the future doing something that probably is of news reporting. not done nearly enough—betraying

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 61 Words & Reflections

your sources! A journalist uses charm scribe what they call “the lost mean- This is the sensible and realistic and guile to help extract information ing of objectivity.”… As [they] point approach to objectivity that might be that can benefit the public, and then out, “In the original concept, in other termed genuine objectivity. It begins spills the beans to the public. And words, the method is objective, not the with the assumption that journalists sometimes the source of the infor- have bias, and that their bias has to mation feels betrayed. Objectivity be tested and challenged by gather- also means not trying to create ing facts and information that will the illusion of fairness by letting either support it or knock it down. advocates pretend in your journal- But what, exactly, was objective Often, there is information that does ism that there is a debate about both, and that ambiguity needs to the facts when the weight of truth journalism? Were all-too-human be reported with the same dispas- is clear. He-said/she-said reporting, journalists supposed to stop sion with which a scientist would which just pits one voice against report variations in findings that another, has become the discredited being humans and somehow were inconclusive. If the evidence face of objectivity. But that is not is inconclusive, then that is—by authentic objectivity. expunge all the prejudices that scientific standards—the truth. they carried inside them? Were But journalistic objectivity is an After describing what critics of ob- effort to discern a practical truth, jective journalism find as its faults they to be objective, meaning not an abstract, perfect truth. Re- and detailing the historical roots of porters seeking genuine objectivity objective journalism, Jones returns that they would approach each search out the best truth possible to a discussion of how journalism— new subject like a blank slate from the evidence that the reporter, with objectivity at its core—has been in good faith, can find. To discredit thought of by those who set forth its without opinions? objectivity because it is impossible principles. to arrive at perfect truth is akin to dismissing trial by jury because it But what, exactly, was objective isn’t perfect in its judgments. journalism? Were all-too-human journalists supposed to stop being journalist.” It was because journalists In concluding this chapter, Jones humans and somehow expunge all inevitably arrived with bias that they writes: the prejudices that they carried inside needed objectivity as a discipline to them? Were they to be objective, mean- test that bias against the evidence so My sense is that most Americans want ing that they would approach each as to produce journalism that would the same thing—that their news should new subject like a blank slate with- be closer to truth. be rooted in a verifiable reality that out opinions? Enemies of objectivity They argue that the quickening of can be confirmed and that faithfully argue that because journalists must objectivity as the American journal- represents the ambiguity that reality be free of bias to be objective, and istic standard was born of a desire usually includes. The national con- because this is impossible, it follows to have a more scientific way of ap- versation is the means we have for that objectivity is a false ideal. As a proaching news. The nation’s faith in interpreting and analyzing that core group, journalists probably have more science was surging, and the scientific of objective news, and it is inherently opinions than most, and it is very rare method seemed suited to journalism. subjective and opinionated. But if a that a reporter starts working on a Scientists begin their research with fundamental confidence in the iron story without having some notion as assumptions. They have expectations core disappears, if it is viewed as just to what happened—in other words, of what will happen, but they don’t another collection of facts assembled by a point of view. But objectivity does know what will happen. They have, in someone with a political agenda, then not require that journalists be blank other words, their own opinions and one of the most important supports for slates free of bias. In fact, objectivity beliefs—their point of view or even our democracy will weaken, and the is necessary precisely because they bias—about what is likely the truth, conversation may well become more of are biased. and they do their research to test those a cacophonous Tower of Babel.  In their book “The Elements of assumptions. Their objective, scientific Journalism: What Newspeople Should inquiry is not one that is without bias, Know and the Public Should Expect,”1 but one in which bias has to stand up Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, de- to evidence and results.

1 See Nieman Reports’ special issue, “Essays About ‘The Elements of Journalism,’” at www.nieman.harvard.edu/assets/pdf/Nieman%20Reports/ProfCorner/elements.pdf.

62 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections

The Newsroom’s Disdain for Revealing Reporters’ Political Leanings A journalist argues that maintaining ‘the veneer of political impartiality devalues reporting and marginalizes the press’s fundamental role in our democracy.’

BY REED RICHARDSON

t this year’s White House Cor- rules, such as those involving conflicts is moving, I think people are much respondents’ Association din- of interest for specialized beats, tend more interested in having a strong ner, the President introduced to be narrowly drawn. point of view in their news,” says Eric Ahimself with a not-so-subtle poke at Alterman, City University of New York the Washington press corps: “I am Journalists’ Free Speech journalism professor and media critic Barack Obama. Most of you covered for The Nation. “A much better ques- me. All of you voted for me.” The joke In handling editorial employees’ right tion is how does it affect the journal- elicited hearty laughter, but it also of free speech, nearly all major news ism, because you can be an incredible cut uncomfortably close to the bone organizations regard employment and partisan and still be very fair.” at a time when many people regard political activity to be mutually exclu- In June 2007, MSNBC.com investi- the news media as politically biased, sive. An extreme minority of journalists gative reporter Bill Dedman identified inaccurate and out of touch. even swears off voting, yet no newsroom 143 working journalists—out of a total This dour assessment of journal- forbids reporters to vote. And in the of roughly 100,000 nationwide—as ism’s credibility—documented in the era of Facebook and cell phone cam- having made campaign contributions 2009 “State of the News Media” study eras, newsrooms are adopting a siege during the previous four years. He by the Pew Research Center’s Project mentality as they further circumscribe made almost no effort, however, to for Excellence in Journalism—follows what is acceptable behavior for their find evidence linking these donations a nearly 20-year-long decline in the editorial employees. Pennsylvania State to biased coverage. Neither did the De- public’s esteem for the press. Myriad University journalism professor Gene troit Free Press, which tried to ban all reasons exist for this collapse, but a Foreman, author of the 2009 book, political donations by employees after factor consistently overlooked involves “The Ethical Journalist,” supports such two of its journalists’ names surfaced the ethical dilemma—and a dispute efforts: “We have to be as restrained in Dedman’s story. An independent among journalists—that lies at the as we can in getting involved in com- arbitrator struck down the newspa- heart of the President’s joke: Where munity life,” he says. “You’re kind of per’s new ethics rule as unnecessarily do journalists draw the line between giving [the public] a stick to hit you broad and pointed out that despite the objectively reporting on how well our with” by divulging political opinions claim of harm to the paper’s reputa- democracy is functioning and person- in today’s environment. tion, Executive Editor Caesar Andrews ally participating in it? However, this notion of certifying had conceded that the paper “did not Those who favor a more inclusive journalists’ neutrality by concealing possess or even look for evidence that and engaged personal approach, political opinions seems shortsighted [the donations] compromised the Free melded with greater transparency, are and hypocritical because it creates a Press’s integrity.” still in the minority. “What this new distorted ethical landscape. A White Dedman told me that to focus solely ethic asks the reporter to do is to be House correspondent can cast a vote on the fairness of journalistic output honest in disclosing his or her point for Obama and socialize with admin- misses the point. “An umpire only of view, his or her biases, his or her istration officials without questions has to cheer for the Red Sox during affiliations. Then in writing or produc- being raised about the independence the game once to call his objectivity, ing his or her story, make it very clear of his reporting. Yet, if this reporter his independence, into question,” he that is the perspective from which it discloses his vote or drives a car with contends, in drawing the analogy that has come,” explains Marc Cooper, a an Obama bumper sticker, his work many make of the press as serving journalism professor at the University is considered to be tainted. the role of an impartial umpire. “It of Southern California. In our digital times, news consumers matters how he performs his job, yes, This approach departs from the way increasingly seek news that is filtered but it also matters that he appear not most newsrooms operate today. Broad through the partisan lens of cable to take sides.” restrictions are reserved for conduct TV and the blogosphere. Given this, Over time, the veneer of political outside of the newsroom that is either these newsroom ethics rules appear impartiality devalues reporting and unethical or illegal, while behavioral anachronistic. “The way journalism marginalizes the press’s fundamental

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 63 Words & Reflections

role in our democracy. This stance leads civic engagement and develop strate- reporters having a personal point of to artificial “balanced” reporting and gies to be transparent about it. Doing view should not prevent them from sound bite symmetry (“he said, she so would also help in repairing the doing fair and accurate coverage. said”) rather than what the reporter’s press’s tarnished reputation. With an operating ethic of protect- role ought to be—seeking and convey- Mechanisms and platforms exist, ing reporters’ free speech, the tradeoff ing what is found to be true. even if the willpower doesn’t, to fa- for journalists would be forgoing some cilitate this ethical shift. On the Web, measure of personal privacy. When The Digital Push bylines link to short bios; in these, they divulge information about their personal disclosure statements could personal political engagement—or Earlier this year, on his blog Press- appear to reveal a reporter’s work his- other potential conflicts of interest, Think, Jay Rosen wrote “He Said, She tory and educational background. If for example—the public will be able Said Journalism: Lame Formula in the such a declaration is especially perti- to assess the full dimensions of the Land of the Active User.” He observed nent to a story, it could be prominently news it receives. that “Any good blogger, competing displayed in much the same way online Letting go of this fear of public journalist or alert press critic can spot awareness of reporters’ political en- and publicize false balance and the gagement and leanings won’t be easy. lame acceptance of fact-free spin. Do This spring The Washington Post fired users really want to be left helpless in Dan Froomkin, whose White House sorting out who’s faking it more? The Embracing transparency Watch column, the paper’s ombuds- he said, she said form says they do, is not an endorsement of man wrote in 2005, made the Post’s but I say decline has set in.” political reporters uncomfortable In Rosen’s view, the Web’s decentral- an ethical free-for-all. because it was “highly opinionated ized and horizontally connected ethos and liberal.” Froomkin argued that provides a healthy counterweight in he was just doing what journal- giving citizen-generated reporting and ists should do. Now, as Washington partisan bloggers the same potential bureau chief for The Huffington Post reach as established news organiza- corrections are now handled. and at the Nieman Watchdog Web tions. As these unrestrained voices Embracing transparency is not an site, Froomkin has observed that “the build audiences and gain legitimacy, endorsement of an ethical free-for- sense that if you have a belief that you newsrooms adapt; many now invite all. “Common sense would rule out publicly espouse you can no longer contributors from outside of the clearly unacceptable situations—a be fair about reporting a subject is newsroom to post stories and images newspaper’s political writer working problematic. Reporters have beliefs, to their Web sites. on a campaign, say,” wrote Will Bunch, they have values—the key is for them As this happens, tensions inevitably a senior writer at the Philadelphia not to let those beliefs unduly affect develop between the newsroom’s strict Daily News, in an American Journal- their reporting.” There are principles, ethics rules and the absence of similar ism Review article on this topic.1 “But he says, that journalists should stand standards for contributed content. This transparency would clear the way for for—accountability, transparency, fair disparity was on display when Mayhill reporters who wish to work in a bat- play, human rights—and “there’s noth- Fowler, The Huffington Post’s citizen tered women’s shelter or maybe even ing wrong with journalists wearing reporter who broke the Obama “Bit- that technology writer protesting the those values on their sleeves.”  tergate” story last April, got her scoop; war in Iraq.” In essence, newsrooms as an Obama campaign donor, she was would treat editorial employees’ politi- Reed Richardson is managing editor attending a private fundraising party cal activity no differently than other at Touchpoint Media. He was a U.S. closed to the press. public behavior, such as attending Army officer and voted for Obama. A demographic imperative will ac- religious services or investing in real Gene Foreman, former managing and celerate this change as those who’ve estate. deputy editor at The Philadelphia grown up with the Web’s ethos of News organizations should realize Inquirer from 1973-98, generously interactive opinion sharing, much of that what sets their content apart is shared portions of his recently pub- it political in nature, get involved in not their staff’s eschewing of a cam- lished book “The Ethical Journalist” reporting news. Given this trend, news paign yard sign, but how they employ for this article. organizations ought to figure out ways their skills to produce better reporting. to be more accepting of journalists’ Credibility is the press’s authority;

1 Bunch’s 2008 article, “Disconnected: As embattled news organizations try to safeguard their futures with intensely local coverage, there is often a wide gulf between journalists and the communities they cover,” can be read at www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4584.

64 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections

Spies and Journalists: Taking a Look at Their Intersections Moscow recruited journalists for their access, insights and confidential information.

BY MURRAY SEEGER

Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB describes how he was recruited for the three previous essential books also in America American division of the KGB. produced by John Earl Haynes, a his- John Earl Haynes, Harvey Klehr, and He was “clean,” meaning no Jews torian at the Library of Congress, and Alexander Vassiliev in his family; he had high grades and Harvey Klehr, a professor at Emory Yale University Press. 704 Pages. good language skills, and he was po- University: “Venona: Decoding Soviet litically loyal and sober. “Plus, I was Espionage in America,” “The Secret World of American Communism,” Spies and journalists, journalists and and “The Soviet World of American spies: Is there a difference? Tightly em- Communism.” braced, the two disciplines historically “Spies” has received greatest at- played off each other in the search for tention for closing the cases of Alger foreign news and information. Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Sometimes there were no degrees as genuine Soviet agents and clearing of separation. U.S. agencies used any remaining doubts about Robert journalists as covert agents until Oppenheimer, who was not a spy. the reforms of the Vietnam era. As No, this is not a rerun of the Mc- a Congressional committee reported Carthy hearings. These are nonpo- in the early 1970’s, “Full-time corre- litical case studies that produce clear spondents for major U.S. publications verdicts of individual culpability. And have worked concurrently for the CIA, the authors do not pretend to have passing along information received exhausted the subject. The notes that in the normal course of their regular Vassiliev collected are not complete. jobs and even, on occasion, traveling His access was cut off after the reform to otherwise non-newsworthy areas government was replaced and former to acquire data.” Communists took charge of the SVR, The agency also had stringers the successor to the KGB. and other freelancers who collected The new material has made it information and rumors and planted possible for the authors to close the stories in foreign media that were fed headline cases, delve deeper into the into the international news traffic and entire range of Soviet espionage, and sometimes appeared in U.S. print and devote a chapter to spies and journal- electronic outlets. going to get a degree in international ists. One conclusion they reach is that Of course, the rationale was, “ev- journalism, and that profession was everyone’s favorite leftist journalist, eryone does it.” The British certainly considered the best cover for an intel- I.F. Stone, was a paid Soviet agent in did. Kim Philby, the most notorious ligence officer.” 1936-38 and that he kept close contact double agent in modern times, was After a year of honest presswork to with Soviet intelligence for at least six placed in Beirut by British intelligence assume his disguise, Vassiliev went to more years. as correspondent for three icons of work for the KGB until the agency was The authors discuss the disagree- the London media, The Times, The shut down by the collapse of the So- ment among those who believe Stone Economist, and The Observer. He ran viet Union. By chance, the post-Soviet was only a Soviet sympathizer and to Moscow with the wife of an Ameri- security agency assigned Vassiliev to those who think he was an active Soviet can colleague after London finally collect information from secret files agent. The use of a specific Russian discovered his higher allegiance. on espionage for publication in the phrase in his files is what led Haynes Still, the grand champions at mixing United States. These files provide the and Klehr to conclude that Stone was the two trades were the Russians with core of “Spies: The Rise and Fall of paid to spy for the Soviets. The file their ubiquitous KGB and GRU, the the KGB in America.” states that Stone entered “the chan- military intelligence arm. In this new, This book is a thorough documenta- nel of normal operational work” in encyclopedic book about Soviet spies, tion of the recruitment and operation 1936. This term was reserved for paid one of the authors, Alexander Vassiliev of Moscow’s spy networks. It follows agents. (Others who’ve written about

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 65 Words & Reflections

“Spies,” such as Nicholas Lemann, are on politics and policy, insights into “Eagle” by the KGB, since he was a not persuaded; he wrote in his New personalities, and confidential and foreign correspondent for the former Yorker review that the authors were nonpublic information that never made Brooklyn Eagle, who contacted foreign not able to “establish that Stone was it into published stories.” agents in his European travels. George paid or had more than occasional Dozens of other American journal- Seldes reported from Moscow for contact with the KGB.”) ists met regularly with Russians who the Chicago Tribune and later joined Under his birth name, Isidor Fein- identified themselves as journalists the Communist Party and published stein, Stone was given the undercover but were KGB or GRU officers. Only a left-wing newsletter with Bruce name “bliny” or pancake and asked to Soviet citizens with the highest secu- Minton, a KGB contact. Robert Al- supply tidbits of information and to rity clearance could meet openly with len, best known as Drew Pearson’s recruit or identify other possible agents foreigners. The Americans thought partner in the hard-hitting column or informants. The authors claim that they were getting inside information Washington Merry-Go-Round, was he acted as the intermediary between from these contacts, but the Russians paid $100 a month by the KGB early at least one recruit and the KGB. peddled dross. The gossip Americans in his career. His name disappeared from the offered had higher value to the Krem- The journalist chapter is only a files after 1938, presumably because, lin and sometimes earned them cover small part of this massive study that like many American leftists, Stone names for the files. melds together the new material with resented the notorious 1939 pact be- Ernest Hemingway had enough the research from the authors’ three tween Stalin and Hitler. Now known contacts to be given a KGB code previous books. Many of the journalists under his new byline, I.F. Stone was name, “Argo,” but he was written off here were marginal to the trade, but again in contact with KGB sources in after he attacked the Soviet Union there are enough of them to affirm the 1942 and, in 1943, he employed the in print. The KGB was fascinated by conclusion the authors reach: wife of Stanley Graze, a KGB source, the well-connected columnist, Walter as his personal secretary. In 1944, Lippmann, a liberal whose position in Unlike government employees or a well-known KGB agent, Vladimir journalism has never been replicated. scientists who broke the law by Plavdin, tried to re-enlist Stone, but The KGB called him “Imperialist,” but turning over classified material to was rebuffed because Stone, the father only penetrated his office by plant- the KGB, most of the journalists of three children, feared he would be ing Mary Price, a Communist, as his profiled … violated no statute of identified by the FBI. secretary. that era. Few had any access to Still, dear old “Izzy” has outspoken Pravdin, the agent who failed to secret data. Members of a pro- defenders. Myra MacPherson, a skilled re-enlist Stone or seduce Lippmann, fession dedicated to openness, journalist who wrote the 2006 book, was ostensibly a TASS correspondent, however, they covertly enlisted “All Governments Lie: The Life and but actually was number two in the in an organization dedicated to Times of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone,” New York KGB station. He was the deception. published a blog post in May for The complete KGB agent; in 1944, in They used their access to Huffington Post that admitted Stone Switzerland, he assassinated Ignace information to deceive their was myopic about Russia, “But being Poretsky, a KGB defector. employers, their colleagues, and misled and naive does not make one Whittaker Chambers, a GRU agent their publics about their loyal- a spy.” who was later a highly respected writer ties and veracity. They betrayed Stone had been recruited by Frank for Time, and Helen Bentley, opera- confidences and pursued political Palmer, a labor journalist and KGB tor of a KGB network, reported for agendas while pretending to be agent who ran Federated Press, a PM, a short-lived New York tabloid professional journalists. leftist news agency that supplied that employed many leftists. She material to union newspapers and recruited Bernard Redmont, one of Citing Stone, the authors pointed radical publications in the 1930’s. the best-known reporters named in out that some reporters “wrote prolifi- Palmer also signed up Louis Budenz, this book, who was called “Berny” in cally about issues of subversion and who became managing editor of the the Communist Party and “Mon” in espionage without ever acknowledging Communist Party paper, the Daily the KGB files. that they knew far more about how Worker, and later reappeared as a Redmont supplied marginal mate- the KGB operated than they cared to rabid anti-Communist. rial to his handlers until he was cut off express.”  The KGB in 1941 counted 22 journal- in 1945. He always denied his Com- ists among its American agents, plus munist connections through a long Murray Seeger, a 1962 Nieman Fellow, 49 engineers, four economists, and career with U.S. News & World Report, covered the former Soviet Union, East- eight professors. While Moscow had CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting, ern and Central Europe for 10 years a priority for technical information, it and Boston University. for the Los Angeles Times. He is the recruited journalists “for their access Among other names identified in author of “Discovering Russia: 200 to inside information and sources “Spies,” Winston Burdett was called Years of American Journalism.”

66 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Words & Reflections

Learning About China’s Changes While Teaching Journalism A U.S. journalism professor returns to China—after two decades—and discovers from his students all that has changed and what remains the same.

BY JAMES ROSS

efore she started graduate school do with China, however, the reality break down stereotypes and deal with in journalism at Nanjing Univer- is more difficult to discern. While broad themes. In return, their reporting sity in the fall of 2008, Xu Xu economic reforms provide some news- provided remarkable insights about a Bwas a government official in Xining, papers with more independence, the rapidly changing society as they wrote the capital of Qinghai Province. Xin- Internet, reaching an estimated 300 about new life trajectories for ordinary ing, 27 hours west of Nanjing by train million Chinese, has released a flow of Chinese people. One student profiled and close to the Tibetan border, has information that exposes corruption, a migrant construction worker and a large Tibetan population and has criticizes government officials, reports ended the story with this scene: been the site of protests over China’s on protests and arrests, and chronicles occupation of Tibet. As part of her health and safety issues. Changes such It was time for lunch and I invited job, Xu Xu helped organize lectures as these have pushed even Xinhua, Yang to join me, but he refused. and community activities to promote the official Chinese news agency, to “My clothes are so dirty. If we nationalism and patriotism. report in 2008 that nearly all of the have lunch together, you will During orientation as a Fulbright nation’s 3,220 billionaires are children be laughed at by others,” Yang lecturer, as I prepared to teach two of senior officials. Journalists are still said shyly. “There is no choice graduate journalism classes, I’d been subject to censorship and prosecution, as a worker.” warned to avoid the “Three T’s”—Tibet, but the information genie is out of “Never mind,” I said, “Nobody Tiananmen and Taiwan. But during the bottle. will do so.” the first week of class, after a student My journalism students were bright He still disagreed. When I wrote a profile of Xu Xu and her work and worked hard, as did those I taught proposed that I go buy fast food in Xining, I couldn’t resist asking her in Shanghai in the summers of 1985 and so we can have lunch on the a question. 1986. Back then students had access construction site together, he “Did you find that any of the people only to official sources of information. refused my offer. there had any negative feelings toward Now they read online The New York “Whether your family is rich you and other Han Chinese?” I said, Times, CNN.com, investigative stories or not, your money comes from referring to the Han who comprise from Southern Weekend in Guangzhou, your parents as a student,” he more than 90 percent of China’s and blogs, many of which are based on said. “I have earned money by population. solid news reporting. They join Web myself on earth, so I should pay “No,” Xu Xu said firmly. “They all portals and chat groups to share gossip for the lunch.” He spoke to me want to be like us.” and comment on rumors. Although like a parent, although he is three the government occasionally blocks years younger than I. Finally, I Shared Learning some Web sites—the Times’ site was had to give up my plan for us blocked at times—many Chinese use to have lunch together. On the surface it seemed not much proxy servers to get access to blocked When we left the construc- had changed since I’d taught jour- sites. (The recent government attempt, tion site and walked through the nalism in China two decades earlier. subsequently dropped, to require moni- campus, it was very crowded, as The government requires journalists toring software on all new computers usual. Yang looked uncomfort- to have licenses, and the state owns sold in China indicated that censorship able, and walked carefully so news media companies. Journalism has had limited success.) that he wouldn’t knock into the education at most universities, includ- For nearly all of my students, who students. “Walking on campus, I ing Nanjing, focuses on communica- came from provinces throughout feel particularly self-conscious,” tion theory, though a few universities China, I was their first foreign teacher. he said. He seemed embar- emphasize the practice of journalism. They spoke and understood English rassed. And students rarely question their well and wrote assignments in English. “It does not matter,” I said. government, at least in the presence But most of them, like the students I “You will open your own company, of foreigners. taught in the 1980s, were reluctant to won’t you? At that time, college Like nearly everything that has to speak in class. I encouraged them to students may be working for you.”

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 67 Words & Reflections

I smiled. Yang scratched his head, what they’d written with “awkward” reporting methods transparent? and laughed. The smile spread on and “vague” next to nearly every para- Then I projected some blogs from his face, bright and warm. graph. I’d been baffled by words like China translated by and published “intelligential,” which emerged from on Global Voices Online. One dealt My students also investigated computer translators some students with corruption in Nanjing’s housing China’s milk powder scandal that used. Yet the students welcomed my administration. (The director was later dominated the news that fall when editing, and I was touched by their dismissed.) Another told the story of thousands of babies became ill, and sincerity. “Professor Ross,” one student a peasant from Shandong selected at least six died from milk powder wrote. “I’ve rewrited my travel story to represent his fellow villagers who tainted with melamine. They inter- according to your postil. My poor had lost their homes due to the sink- viewed families with sick children English must have cost you a lot of ing of a local mine and had been who were overwhelmed with medical energy to read and amend it. So sorry denied compensation from the local bills and a doctor at Gulou Hospital for it. However, I was shocked and government. His son was beaten, he was jailed twice (once for more than a year), and finally held in a mental institution and injected with drugs for more than three months. I expected at least some of my stu- dents would be shocked or surprised by what we were learning from these blogs, but most were familiar with such stories from their reading of other blogs and participation in chat groups. Only a handful of my students plan to become journalists. Most hope to find a stable job in government so they can help support their families. In China, the social status and pay for journalists is relatively low and there are few jobs. Yet, as protests erupt (as they did in July in a Muslim region of China), government corrup- tion continues, unemployment rises, and public health and safety controls deteriorate, it will be vital for China to have journalists who are capable of James Ross with his journalism students at Nanjing University. moving past stereotypic coverage and sorting truth from rumor so that the public can rely on their reporting. It in Nanjing who was among the first moved by your dense amendments on might take decades before what we’d to discover why so many children were my story. Thank you so much! Always recognize as a free press exists in China. getting sick. The students also wrote best wishes!” But the Chinese people’s well-being travel stories about picking tea leaves In my journalism ethics class, I depends on them having a freer flow of in Xishuangbanna, trekking in Tibet, lectured about freedom of speech in accurate information as they confront visiting the springs in Jinan, and fea- the United States, the failure of the the challenges of the tumultuous times ture stories about a successful training mainstream American news media in which they live.  center for autistic children in Sichuan to question the march to war in Province and “rehabilitation” colonies Iraq, and the obsession with gossip James Ross is an associate professor of in Guangdong where recovered lepers and celebrity. In our final class, we journalism and director of the Jew- are isolated. discussed the ethics of blogging. We ish Studies Program at Northeastern I edited their stories, correcting discussed ways to tell if blogs are ac- University. He is the author of three English usage and suggesting ways curate and reliable. Does the blogger nonfiction books and coeditor of “From to dig deeper into the story. As I e- cites sources, dates, names? Do other the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to mailed the first set of stories back, I blogs or sources support the informa- Holocaust Denial Trials: Challenging was apprehensive about their response. tion? Has this blogger been reliable in the Media, the Law and the Academy,” I’d put red lines through much of the past? Are the writer’s biases and published by Vallentine Mitchell.

68 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 NIEMAN NOTES Adapting Investigative Reporting Skills to Policy Advocacy ‘My motto remains what it was when I reported on immigration: always hard-headed, never hard-hearted.’

BY JERRY KAMMER

t the end of 2007 I took ing to five or six U.S. states. But had it right when he wrote that the now-familiar buyout in the aftermath of the amnesty “apologists for illegal immigration route as my organization, that Congress provided in 1986 tend to be activists and ivory- ACopley News Service, began a to some three million illegal tower academics who opposed slide toward oblivion. A year later immigrants, immigration has any immigration controls from I began a new job, with a title that exploded. Now immigrants are Day One; Hispanic advocates feels elaborate to someone who coming in large numbers from all who worship at the altar of po- for three decades was happy to regions of Mexico and from many litical clout based on numerical list “reporter” as my line of work. other countries to all regions of increases; liberals a generation I’m a senior research fellow at the the United States. There’s no or two removed from having to Center for Immigration Studies telling how many millions more, worry about competition for jobs (CIS), a Washington think-tank now plugged into immigration in the secondary labor market; that advocates reduced immi- networks, intend to come. profiteering agribusinessmen gration. I have two principal concerns. (and certain other employers), It’s a big shift to be an advocate. First, that the influx of mostly and libertarians who do not care But I approach my work here with poor people from desperate parts so much how things turn out in the same fundamental goal that of the Third World is importing a practice as long as they work in animated my reporting. I want new permanent underclass to the theory.” to help inform public discussion bottom rungs of an economy that My work at CIS is allowing me about a complex, rancorous issue is losing its middle rungs. This to pursue stories with investiga- that is important to the future of threatens to bring us the social tive depth that is increasingly our country. My motto remains structure of Latin America. rare at newspapers. For my first what it was when I reported Second, immigration is the project, a report on the labor on immigration: always hard- demographic engine that is driv- markets and working conditions headed, never hard-hearted. ing the United States toward a at six Swift meat-processing I began observing immigration doubling of its population by plants in six states, I had the in the late 1980s, when I was late in this century. The social, budget to spend four to five northern Mexico correspondent political and environmental con- days in each community. It was for The Arizona Republic. Later, sequences would be enormous. the most intensive reporting I’d as I lived in Phoenix during the Yet, immigration demographics done since 2005, when Copley huge illegal influx that followed receive scant attention in the leadership made sure we had the 1994 peso collapse, I de- press. Meanwhile, environmental everything we needed to pursue veloped an appreciation of the groups like the Sierra Club have the Randy “Duke’’ Cunningham immigrants’ struggles and of the retreated from the issue, muzzled bribery scandal. anxieties often felt in receiving by political correctness and liberal The biggest difference in my communities. coalition politics. new job, of course, is that now I I believe that the scale of My concerns are fundamen- am an advocate, helping present immigration has become over- tally progressive. But I believe the case for reduced immigra- whelming. Two decades ago, that the late Richard Estrada, tion. I disagree with Speaker of illegal immigration was mostly a who worked briefly at CIS before the House Nancy Pelosi, who matter of people leaving seven or he joined the editorial board effusively declares that expansive eight states in Mexico and head- of The Dallas Morning News, immigration is “who we are’’ as a

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 69 Nieman Notes

An Opposing Viewpoint: The Struggle to Be Heard I have a bone to pick with The wage immigrant workers when new immigrants are economic sub- Washington Post, particularly the the economy improves. They said stitutes.” I noted Barbara Jordan’s editorial page. that if the United States didn’t let observation that “any nation worth The Post has repeatedly opened the workers in, they would come its salt must control its borders.” its pages to the advocacy and anyway, “no matter how much I ended with the observation that analysis of former journalist Tamar border and worksite enforcement the Jacoby-Castañeda proposal Jacoby. She has advocated expansive is in place.” “would benefit the interests they immigration policy for several years, Hoping to offer a differing view, represent” but “would not serve first at the conservative Manhattan I contacted an acquaintance on the the national interest.” Institute and now as a lobbyist Post’s editorial board. That led to Later that day, in response to an for an employers’ coalition. Since contact with op-ed editor Autumn e-mail query, Brewington said she late 2003, she has had 14 bylines Brewington, who gave me the green had received the piece, adding “I’ll in the Post, including six op-eds, light. She added that she would not get back to you as soon as I can.” four Sunday Outlook essays, and make a decision on publishing until I haven’t heard from her since. four book reviews. All conveyed her after she had read the piece. Such casual discourtesy, especially views about immigration policy. Her I submitted a 743-word piece in the context of the Post’s repeated input totaled 16,916 words. the next morning. In it I cited the accommodations to Jacoby’s views, In July, Jacoby and Jorge Casta- Jordan Commission’s statement is not good for the broad and open ñeda, Mexico’s former foreign that “Immigration of unskilled discussion of immigration policy minister, coauthored an op-ed for immigrants comes at a cost to that our country needs. It is also the Post. They called on Congress unskilled U.S. workers, particularly not good journalism. —J.K. to admit large numbers of low- established immigrants for whom

nation. I think our immigration policy the pragmatism and compassion of historical, economic, political and should be guided less by nostalgia for amnesty with a crackdown on rogue cultural dimensions. A reporter needs our grandparents and more by concern employers, failed wretchedly. Amnesty also to understand the competing in- for our grandchildren. functioned with hydraulic efficiency. terest groups and coalitions, as well Despite the claims of some on Enforcement became a farce as phony as the changes immigration brings to Pelosi’s side of the debate, this does documents allowed workers to pretend the workplace, schools, neighborhoods not make me “anti-immigrant” any to be legal and employers to pretend and health care systems. more than efforts at careful manage- to believe them. The second reason is not just subtle; ment of the Pentagon budget make Congress set the stage for the cur- it’s also sinister. It involves a campaign one anti-defense, or a program for rent tumult in 1965, passing legislation by immigration advocacy groups to responsible nutrition makes one anti- that sought to broaden the sources of delegitimize restrictionist organiza- food. My guide star is the late Barbara immigration beyond traditional areas tions like CIS. It is an attempt to cast Jordan who said in the mid-1990’s, in Europe. Journalist Theodore White us beyond the pale of reasoned and when she directed a federal commis- called it “noble, revolutionary—and civil policy discussion. sion on immigration policy, that we probably the most thoughtless of the Led by the National Council of La must get serious about stopping illegal many acts of the Great Society.” Raza, the advocacy groups are working immigration in order to maintain a Every year brings examples of in tandem with the Southern Poverty commitment to legal immigration. penetrating and vivid immigration Law Center (SPLC), whose complex Jordan spoke passionately of the need reporting. But although immigration includes both its admirable work in for policy that serves the broad national is now a story nationwide, few papers battling the Ku Klux Klan and its cyni- interest. She spoke of us as a society, are up to the task. I think there are cal inclination to stifle public debate not just an economy. two major reasons, one straightfor- in the name of promoting tolerance Our borders are chaotic because ward, one subtle. and fighting hate. our low-wage labor market has re- First, to massage a phrase: immigra- The SPLC’s bona fides are wanting. mained, with a few exceptions, wide tion isn’t rocket science; it’s far more A remarkable 2000 Harper’s Magazine open. The bargain of 1986, when complicated. To report fully about it exposé revealed its habit of spending Congress declared it was combining requires some understanding of its “most of its time—and money—on a

70 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Nieman Notes relentless fundraising campaign, ped- quantify. Shortly after beginning work to The Kansas City Star about a flaw dling memberships in the church of here, I received a call from a friend, in the culture of Washington. Said tolerance with all the zeal of a circuit an immigration advocate who works Murguia, “One basic thing that gets rider passing the collection plate.’’ for a Hispanic member of Congress. lost in Washington is to just have a Now that the Klan has faded, the I suspect she is now a former friend common sense of decency when you’re SPLC is milking a new cash cow in the because she informed me she was “ap- treating people. Sometimes it seems form of hundreds of “hate groups.” It palled” at my decision to work for such like it’s a rare commodity in this town. has attempted to cast CIS as part of a a “hateful” organization. I’ve learned That’s one thing I hope I keep from network of anti-immigrant animosity, to consider such reactions part of my my Kansas upbringing—a lot of it is using guilt-by-association tactics out new territory. a Midwestern sort of Latin American of the Joe McCarthy playbook. Unable I believe the smear campaign has the upbringing.’’ to find hatred in our work—which is effect of making some well-intentioned I would like to see the immigra- reputable enough for the U.S. Census people decide to avoid us for fear tion debate conducted with respect Bureau and Department of Justice to that they, too, will be found guilty by for differing opinions. I’d like to see have contracted with CIS—the SPLC association. Conducted in the name greater civility among the advocacy warns darkly that we are part of a net- of tolerance and civil discussion, the groups and greater professionalism work with “ties to white supremacy.” campaign is itself uncivil, dishonest among the journalists. I hope I can Despite the SPLC’s long record of and antidemocratic. A desire to fight contribute on both counts.  hucksterism, hypocrisy and greed—first it was one of the reasons I accepted exposed in a Montgomery Advertiser my job at CIS. Jerry Kammer, a 1994 Nieman Fellow, series that was a 1995 Pulitzer Prize I’d like to see the advocacy groups was a reporter for The Navajo Times, finalist—major organizations like The keep in mind a noble thought expressed Gallup Independent, The Arizona Washington Post and The New York by Janet Murguia, president and CEO Republic, and the Washington bureau Times have cited it as an arbiter of of the National Council of La Raza. of Copley News Service. He now works intolerance. The damage the smear In 1995, when she was working in at the Center for Immigration Studies campaign has caused us is difficult to the Clinton White House, she talked in Washington, D.C.

1949 1953 years later, he was hired by the Star where he held a number of positions, including parliamentary correspon- Grady Clay received the Athena Robert Nielsen died on July 10th dent in Ottawa, bureau chief in Lon- Medal from the Congress for the in a New Brunswick, Canada, hospi- don and Washington, D.C., and the New Urbanism in honor of his role tal after suffering an aneurysm. He paper’s editorial page editor. Nielsen in laying the groundwork for the New was 87. was the second Nieman Fellow from Urbanism movement. Nielsen covered some of the world’s Canada. Clay, the urban affairs editor of The major news stories, including the He wrote one of his biggest stories (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal for construction of the Berlin Wall, dur- for the Star while he was vacationing many years, was recognized for his ing the 33 years he worked for The in New Brunswick’s Victoria County influential writing about urban plan- Toronto Star. in 1965. He reported that aboriginal ning. In 1959, he established himself In Nielsen’s obituary in the Star, students were barred from attend- as an opponent of sprawl in an article former Star publisher John Honderich ing a local school. The story brought in Horizon magazine called “Metropo- called him “an acerbic, sharp contrar- national attention to the attempt at lis Regained.” He wrote, “I can only ian who forced you to think things racial segregation, and the ban was say that all great movements start in through.” He added, “You always knew reversed. murmurs, and that I hear murmurs. you were meeting someone who was From 1993 to 1996, he wrote a ... We believe in the city, they would smart and cared a great deal about weekly column for the New Brunswick say, not in tearing it down. We like getting things right.” Telegraph-Journal. open space, but hold that too much of Ineligible for military service be- Nielsen is survived by his wife, it is just as bad as too little. We want cause he was blind in one eye, Nielsen Wilhelmine Estabrook, a son, and that multiplicity of choice which the dropped out of the University of New a daughter. His former wife, Eliza- city has always offered, but is now in Brunswick in 1943 to cover World beth, and another son and daughter danger of losing.” War II for the Canadian Press. Two preceded him in death.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 71 Nieman Notes

1966 and John Kenneth Galbraith, who had of playing professional baseball but served earlier as U.S. ambassador to he didn’t last long with the Graceville India. It was always an arresting sight Oilers, a Class D team in Florida. He Dev Prasad (D.P.) Kumar died to see Dev and Professor Galbraith turned to writing about sports and on August 9th of a massive cardiac walking together across the Harvard graduated from Auburn University arrest in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Yard, Galbraith being six-foot-eight with a bachelor’s degree in 1959. Five India. He was 79. and Dev at barely more than five years later, he was hired as a columnist Kumar was best known for his more feet tall.” at the short-lived Atlanta Times. The than 30 years at The Statesman, one Kumar is survived by his wife, Bindi Journal quickly snapped him up. of India’s oldest English-language Sharma, two daughters and a son. In Hemphill’s obituary in The At- newspapers, where he served as a lanta Journal-Constitution, journalist reporter and correspondent through- 1969 Lee Walburn said Hemphill’s columns out the country before becoming the were “appointment journalism. You resident editor, a position he held almost had to pick up the paper to until 1992. Paul Hemphill died on July 11th see what he was going to write about Bob Giles, Curator of the Nieman in Atlanta of cancer. He was 73. The that day.’’ Foundation and a Nieman Fellow longtime chronicler of Southern cul- Roy Blount, Jr., a colleague of the same year as Kumar, said, “Dev ture first gained recognition in the Hemphill’s at the Journal, wrote in brought an intense interest in India’s 1960’s for his six-days-a-week column an e-mail to The New York Times relations with both China and the in The Atlanta Journal. In addition, that Hemphill “was the kind of gen- Soviet Union to his Nieman studies. he published 16 books, among them eral newspaper columnist that hardly He was particularly devoted to two a groundbreaking look at country exists anymore. He’d go out and do renowned Harvard professors, Merle music. things and talk to people and write Fainsod, a scholar of Soviet affairs, As a young man, Hemphill dreamed 2,000 words, daily. He wasn’t a talk-

Nieman Reports: Our Digital Highway

We’ve published Nieman Newsbooks are available also to Are They? How Do They Do Reports for more than anyone who’d like the experience Their Work? six decades in the same of reading Nieman Reports—as a • Voyages of Discovery Into New form—or close to it—as magazine—on notebook comput- Media you hold in your hands. ers, mobile devices, and e-readers What appears on its pages such as Kindle. Each Digital Newsbook can be appears on our Web site, Digital Newsbooks provide downloaded for $4.95: www.niemanreports.org, professors and students with with links and an invita- well-told, firsthand contemporary • www.mbsdirect.net/ tion to comment, along experiences of journalists. They newsbooks with ways to share sto- offer j-school faculty alternative • www.ereaderoutfitters.com (un- ries with colleagues and curriculum materials at a reduced der RJI Newsbooks) friends using the tools of price, especially when compared social media. with the high cost of textbooks. More Nieman Reports’ Digital Now we present our Each Digital Newsbook contains Newsbooks are planned. new Digital Newsbooks. articles and accompanying visuals Nieman Reports is a member These offer topic-specific from the magazine. of the Digital Publishing Alliance,1 articles from Nieman The first three Digital News- and it is through this membership Reports, selected and books we’ve published are: that the magazine partners with organized to highlight the Reynolds Journalism Institute content useful for j-school • The Search for True North: New at the University of Missouri to faculty and students. Directions in a New Territory create and publish these Digital Of course, these Digital • 21st Century Muckrakers: Who Newsbooks. —Melissa Ludtke

1 http://rji.missouri.edu/projects/digital-publishing/stories/about/index.php

72 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Nieman Notes

Nieman Reports: Across the Web On the home page of each issue of We invite you to join us in linking Nieman Reports is a feature we call to articles, videos and blog posts that “Across the Web.” Using Publish2 you’d like to share with other visitors Web tools, we link to stories related to the Nieman Reports’ Web site. It’s to topics covered in that issue of easy to join Publish2 (we provide the magazine. An “Across the Web” instructions on our homepage) and, section can be found on Professor’s once you register, you can publish Corner too, adding to the useful in- links to our Web site and share the formation we can provide to j-school links with others in the Publish2 faculty and students. network. —Melissa Ludtke

ing head; he was walking ears, or Radio, Gupta was author of “The Indian In announcing Hawpe’s retirement listening legs.” Ocean: A Political Geography.” to the staff, Courier-Journal Execu- Before leaving the paper, Hemphill In “Reflections on a Visit to Ban- tive Editor Bennie Ivory called him spent two years filing columns from gladesh,” published in the March 28th “an iconic figure at the newspaper Vietnam. As a Nieman Fellow, he issue of the New Delhi-based current and in the state and region. Through started working on his first book, “The affairs weekly Mainstream, Gupta, the his editorials and columns, he has Nashville Sound: Bright Lights and son of a Bengali father, wrote about been the voice and conscience of The Country Music.’’ Published in 1970, a recent visit to Bangladesh: “It is a Courier-Journal.” the book is still considered one of the country where the struggle for inde- Hawpe also served as president of best ever written about country music pendence is still fresh in the minds the Associated Press Managing Editors and one of his finest achievements as of the people; there are reminders of and was a member of the National As- a writer. death and destruction and it is only sociation of Black Journalists. He was In other works of nonfiction and in Bangladesh that one realizes how inducted into the Kentucky Journalism fiction, Hemphill covered many of bitter was the fight for independence. Hall of Fame in 1994. the subjects he had written about as a It was in the face of insurmountable “This is the right time,” Hawpe columnist, including stock-car racing, odds that Bangladesh became free and said in an interview with The Courier- football and Southern culture. His last whatever the differences, the people Journal. “What a privilege this has book, “A Tiger Walk Through History: never forgot that.” been. I couldn’t have asked for anything The Complete Story of Auburn Football more in a career.’’ From 1892 to the Tuberville Era,’’ was David Hawpe stepped down as the published in 2008. editorial director of The (Louisville, 1980 In addition to his wife, Susan Percy, Ky.) Courier-Journal this summer after he is survived by three daughters, a working at the paper for 40 years. son, and a sister. Hawpe, a graduate of the University Jan Collins has coauthored a book of Kentucky, worked briefly for The published in August called “Next Steps: 1975 Associated Press and the St. Peters- A Practical Guide to Planning for the burg (Florida) Times before he was Best Half of Your Life” (QuillDriver hired by The Courier-Journal to cover Books). Written with elder law attorney Ranjan Gupta died on April 27th eastern Kentucky. In 1970, Hawpe Jan Warner, the book helps readers in Calcutta, India of complications covered the Hyden mine disaster, develop a detailed plan—and the related to a heat wave that swept which killed 38 people and inspired necessary documents—for successful through the region. a career’s worth of columns criticizing aging and retirement. “Jan Warner Gupta, a political scientist by train- the coal industry. and I have written a weekly news- ing, was a special correspondent for At The Courier-Journal, he was paper column called NextSteps since several years in Sikkim, Nepal and an editorial writer, assistant regional 1998, which is nationally syndicated Bhutan for the Indian Express. He editor, managing editor, and editor by United Media out of New York,” also wrote for a number of papers, before being named to his most recent she writes. “The book is an outgrowth including The Boston Globe, The post in 1996. Under Hawpe’s editorial of the column.” Jan is an editor and Sydney Morning Herald and The Irish direction, the paper won four Pulitzer writer at the Moore School of Business, Times. A regular contributor to CBS Prizes. University of South Carolina.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 73 Nieman Notes

Nieman Reports: Professor’s Corner

In recognition of the incredible chal- to how they taught a lenges involved in teaching journal- traditional j-school ism during these transitional times, course using a fresh Nieman Reports has relaunched approach. Student “Professor’s Corner,” a home on its work is highlighted, Web site where resources for j-school too. faculty and students are found. Elizabeth Mehren, At Professor’s Corner (www. a former Los Angeles nieman.harvard.edu/reports/ Times correspondent professor.aspx), we’ve brought to- who created and gether valuable teaching materials taught “The Litera- connected to today’s conversations ture of Journalism” at about journalism. Our “Teaching Boston University’s Tools” section contains articles College of Commu- culled from issues of Nieman Re- nication, is an early ports and organized thematically. contributor. Final pa- Featured topics change periodically pers from five of her and will be archived. students accompany At its relaunch, Professor’s Corner her essay, as does a recommended Ward. He highlights recent books featured these topics: reading list she developed. by journalists about climate change Christofer Machniak described and other environmental issues. • Journalists: Risks, Courage and what it was like to lose his editor’s In doing so, he offers good ideas Performance job at a newspaper while starting about how reporters might tackle • Entrepreneurial News Reporting: to teach his first journalism class such assignments. Digital Approaches at the University of Michigan- If you teach now—or are contem- • Investigative Journalism: Being Flint. He describes being a rookie plating a move into the classroom— a Watchdog, Getting Paid j-school teacher passing on lessons take a look at what Professor’s • Climate Change: Objectivity vs. from the ever-changing frontlines Corner has to offer. And pass word Scientific Accuracy of journalism. of Professor’s Corner along to jour- Other Web-only stories appear nalists you know who are teaching. Professor’s Corner also contains in Professor’s Corner. For example, If you’d like to write about your “Teaching Glimpses.” These Web- in our “Teaching Tools” collec- own time in the classroom, contact only essays are written by j-school tion of stories about reporting on the editor of Nieman Reports at professors who describe their cours- climate change, readers will find Melissa.Ludtke@niemanreports. es and teaching experiences—from the words of journalism educator org. —Melissa Ludtke how they designed a new curriculum and environmental reporter Bud

1985 Fleeson writes, “they flee to Hawaii to find the last of a dying species, to work in a botanical garden for a descends into limestone caves with a couple of years.” [See “Jobs Change paleontologist who deconstructs island Lucinda Fleeson has published a or Vanish” by Jim Boyd, NF ’80, in history through fossil life, and shadows nonfiction narrative of her two years the Summer 2009 Nieman Notes for a botanical pioneer who propagates working for the National Tropical glimpses of how other Niemans are rare seeds, hoping to reclaim the Botanical Garden on the Hawaiian adjusting to such circumstances.] landscape. Fleeson writes that her island of Kauai. “Waking Up in Eden: Fleeson recounts how native plants “grown-up adventure is a reminder In Pursuit of an Impassioned Life on are dying at an astonishing rate. “Ha- of the value of choosing passion over an Imperiled Island” was published waii is called the extinction capital security, individuality over convention, by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill of the world—and invasive species and the pressing need to protect the in June. (plants, animals and humans) have earth.” Ever wonder what happens to jour- imperiled this Garden of Eden,” she Fleeson wrote to let us know that nalists when their news organizations observes. In her book, she accompanies her adventures have a happy ending: start downsizing? “If they’re lucky,” a plant hunter into the rain forest “As I explored the Hawaiian plant cri-

74 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Nieman Notes sis and hunted down garden history, In his new job, he will assist the IDB Satchel Paige was the premier pitcher I realized that I was, and always will in its mission to provide “long-term of the Negro Leagues. The book, Tye be, a reporter at heart. The Hawaiian lending for economic, social and writes “is really the biography of two experience returned me to journalism, institutional development in Latin American icons: Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige but in a new sphere. I spent several American and the Caribbean,” accord- and Jim Crow. years training journalists overseas, in ing to a press release announcing de “Satchel may have been the most Eastern and Central Europe, Africa and Lama’s hiring. overpowering and artful pitcher ever Latin America. Settling in Washington, “At a time when this region is back to toss a baseball. He threw so hard D.C., I freelanced articles for The Wash- in the international spotlight, facing his catchers cushioned their gloves ington Post, Mother Jones, American serious challenges, the IDB’s mission with beefsteaks and with control so Journalism Review, and others. Now to promote sustainable development precise he could—and did—knock lit I direct a program for international and economic opportunity is more cigarettes from the mouths of obliging journalists at the University of Mary- vital than ever,” de Lama said in the teammates. land College of Journalism and teach release. “It will be a privilege to con- “The other half of his story, however, writing and reporting.” Her Web site tribute to the innovative efforts the is what drew me to him. He grew up in is www.lucindafleeson.com. IDB is pursuing on many fronts to the Deep South in an era when blacks fight against entrenched poverty and and whites lived in separate universes— Zwelakhe Sisulu, former editor other obstacles to prosperity.” attending segregated schools, using of the Johannesburg-based New Na- public bathrooms marked COLORED tion, has been appointed a director of 1994 or WHITE, and playing ball in the Eastern Platinum Limited. Based in all-white Major Leagues or the all- Vancouver, British Columbia, the com- black Negro Leagues. No player did pany is a major producer of platinum Sam Fulwood III is now a senior more to bring the national spotlight to group metals. It has an office in South fellow at the Center for American black baseball—and to the inhuman- Africa, where Sisulu is involved in the Progress, where he is examining the ity of segregation—than Satchel. If minerals sector as well as a number influence of national politics and poli- Jackie Robinson was the father of of other businesses. He was formerly cies on issues of race. baseball integration, Satchel was the CEO of the South African Broad- Covering race relations is not new grandfather.” casting Corporation. In 1986, when territory for Fulwood, who frequently Tye, who covered health and the Sisulu was editor of the opposition speaks at colleges and on television environment at The Boston Globe for 15 newspaper New Nation, he was jailed and radio programs. He has written years, is director of the Massachusetts- by South African authorities. He won two books, “Waking from the Dream: based Health Coverage Fellowship for the 1987 Louis M. Lyons Award for My Life in the Black Middle Class” in reporters and editors. Conscience and Integrity in Journal- 1997 and “Full of It: Strong Words ism. The award, named in honor of and Fresh Thinking for Cleveland” 2002 former Nieman Foundation Curator in 2004. Louis M. Lyons, recognized Sisulu’s Fulwood has written for newspapers courage and dedication in providing in several metropolitan markets over Roberta Baskin, a longtime in- South African blacks with an alterna- his 30-year career. Most recently he vestigative reporter, will apply her tive voice in the face of efforts by the was a columnist for The (Cleveland) watchdog skills in her new role as a government to quell dissension. Plain Dealer. He also has worked for senior communications adviser in the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Office of Inspector General at the U.S. 1992 The (Baltimore) Sun (as the bureau Department of Health and Human chief in South Africa), The Charlotte Services. In the spring, she lost her (N.C.) Observer, and for the Los An- position as an investigative reporter George de Lama has joined the geles Times, where he worked in the when ABC affiliate station WJLA-TV staff of the Inter-American Develop- Washington bureau and took part in in Washington, D.C., shut down its ment Bank (IDB) in Washington, the reporting on the Los Angeles race investigative unit. D.C., where he will serve as external riots in 1992 that won the paper a Baskin will advise the department relations adviser and will head the Pulitzer Prize. on a joint venture with the U.S. De- bank’s strategic communications, He is also a founding contributor to partment of Justice called the HEAT Congressional relations, and cultural TheRoot.com, as well as a contributor Initiative—Health Care Fraud Preven- affairs office. to the Nieman Watchdog Web site. tion and Enforcement Action Team— De Lama previously served as the aimed at reducing and preventing managing editor of the Chicago Tri- Larry Tye’s book “Satchel: The Life Medicare and Medicaid fraud. bune, the paper where he spent his and Times of an American Legend,” was “As we increase the pace of our work entire 30-year career in journalism. published by Random House in June. in support of the HEAT initiative …

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 75 Nieman Notes

we will be communicating more pro- he was in the country covering the ing Stories, Saving Lives,” appeared on actively with national and local press, election for The Washington Times blip.tv at http://cli.gs/rWv0g3. as well as with public stakeholders,’’ and other publications. wrote Dan Levinson, inspector gen- Writing in The Telegraph of London 2009 eral, in a memo explaining Baskin’s about his ordeal, he described being new post. held in a room that was lit 24 hours a day and regularly interrogated about Guy Raz was named the host of 2005 his actions during the elections. He National Public Radio’s (NPR) week- wrote: “My questioning over the next end afternoon news magazine show, three weeks was haphazard: my inter- “All Things Considered,” in July. Ines Pohl has been named editor rogators seemed puzzled by me and my “The news doesn’t end on Friday,’’ of die tageszeitung, Germany’s leading grasp of Farsi, and wholly ignorant of said Raz in a press release from NPR. leftist newspaper. Known as “the taz,” my activities during the three years I “It continues through the weekend. the cooperatively owned daily paper had lived, with official blessing, in Iran. We’ll cover it, but we’re also a place focuses on politics and social issues. Gradually their questions became less where you’ll hear new voices, interest- Before joining the paper, Pohl served specific and more philosophical—and, ing music, and compelling personal as a political correspondent for the as the violence against me ceased, time stories.’’ Berlin-based Mediengruppe Ippen. became my greatest enemy.” Raz was guest host for several Athanasiadis was released after months before being named the pro- 2007 the Greek government became in- gram’s host. One of his first projects volved. The Pulitzer Center on Crisis as guest host was to solicit from the Reporting, the New York-based Com- public original short stories for a Christopher Cousins has joined mittee to Protect Journalists, and the “Three-Minute Fiction’’ contest. Thou- the Bangor Daily News as a reporter Nieman Foundation were among the sands of people submitted 500- to after spending the past year working organizations that issued public calls 600-word stories that can be read in for Statehouse News Service in Maine. for his release. three minutes or less. James Wood, The Previously, he worked at The (Bruns- In the Summer 2009 Nieman New Yorker’s literary critic, selected his wick) Times Record for five years. Reports, Athanasiadis discussed the favorites and read them on-air. Cousins, a native of Maine, covers jailing of a fellow journalist in Iran, local news in Somerset and Penobscot Iranian-American Roxana Saberi. He Andrei Zolotov, Jr. has been named counties for the Daily News. “Working wrote, “What Roxana’s case reminds deputy director of RIA Novosti Foreign for such a top-notch news organiza- us—aside from the great disservice it Service, one of the largest news agen- tion was an opportunity I couldn’t did to Iran’s reputation—is that in our cies in Russia. The service has eight pass up, and one that I’ve been seek- increasingly intertwined world journal- Web sites in seven languages and cov- ing for several years,” Cousins said ists are not considered a protected ers political, economic, scientific and in an announcement on the Bangor species but treated as fair game.” financial news. Zolotov remains the Daily News Web site. “I look forward editor of Russian Profile, the English to learning everything I can about Christine Gorman is teaching language news Web site and quarterly central Maine and its people, then a course at New York University in publication that he helped found. turning that knowledge into a stream press ethics focusing on the dilemmas Zolotov appeared on the Russian of must-read news stories and online and decisions that arise in covering News Service radio station’s “Night is presentations.” science, health and environmental Short” program to discuss his experi- news. She remains a contributor to ence as a Nieman Fellow. He writes: 2008 Time magazine, where she spent more “Of course I had to deal with all those than 20 years as the senior health and stupid questions, both from the host, medical writer. who was trying to be provocative, and Iason Athanasiadis was released As part of her Nieman Fellowship some call-in nutcases, about how I by the Iranian government after being in Global Health Reporting, Gorman was being ‘brainwashed’ at Harvard detained for nearly three weeks follow- spent three months in Malawi covering and what America really has in mind ing the country’s highly contentious the country’s nursing crisis. A photo giving out these fellowships to unsus- presidential election on June 12th. He essay appeared in the American Journal pecting foreigners. Ultimately I got was accused of spying for the British of Nursing. Then Gorman produced a so sick of this recurring theme that I government but was never formally story and video about what she had said: ‘Yes, I was brainwashed and very charged. learned in Malawi, which was featured happy to have had this brainwashing Athanasiadis was arrested on June on CNN.com and can be seen at http:// experience!’”  17th, as he was preparing to leave cli.gs/2EzaNQ. An additional video Iran. A citizen of Greece and Britain, from her trip to Malawi entitled “Tell-

76 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 END NOTE Embedding a Reporter With a Shakespearean Production In moderating a blog and facilitating community reads and talk- backs, a journalist brings new voices and insights to arts coverage.

BY ALICIA ANSTEAD

alen Koch had her first with Shakespeare in your past, thousand audience members who Shakespeare moment the then you know how lucky Koch live in or visit this remote, rural summer she was 14. She is to have had such a revelation fishing village once renowned for Gand two young friends were cast when she was just Juliet’s age. For its granite quarries. in “Romeo and Juliet” for the me, an “aha” moment came last I regularly wrote about the annual Shakespeare production year when my job as chief arts Stonington Opera House for at the Stonington Opera House reporter and critic for the Bangor my newspaper and The New on Deer Isle in Maine, and their Daily News ended, and another York Times—so I knew that excitement was uncontainable. possible use for my journalistic not just the Shakespeare was “We were totally in love with skills opened up with a previ- excellent. The programming, in the love and the poetry of ‘Romeo ously unthinkable connection to general, was among the best I and Juliet,’” says Koch, who grew a performing arts center. had seen in Maine or any place up on the island and is now 20. Shakespeare in Stonington, else, frankly. “And that was when I fell in love where Koch got her start, is an My first assignment at the with Shakespeare, that was the annual event performed by pro- Opera House was in 2001, a ‘aha’ moment.” fessional actors from New York full two years after Linda Nel- If you have an “aha” moment City and seen by upward of a son, Judith Jerome, Carol Estey, and Linda Pattie, the founding partners of Opera House Arts, pur- chased the dilapidated historic building, an old vaudeville venue, hoping to rejuvenate both the structure and its cultural legacy in the community. The event was not Shakespeare but an art equally un- likely in such a far-off setting: jazz. Through the years I had attended many performances in rustic settings—barns, garages, abandoned storefronts. This is not unusual for Maine. And yet, something provocative happened that night, and it be- Anstead moderated a blog, which appeared on www.bangordailynews.com/shake-stonington.html, gan as I rounded the for a project called “Shakespeare and the Journalist in the 21st Century.” corner of Main Street,

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 77 End Note

with the churning harbor on one childhood, the Opera House eyed. One woman was in tears side of me and the craggy rise troupers arrive in Stonington, toward the end of “Macbeth,” of earth on the other. There, in where they board in the homes when Macduff slays the king. She a space between, wedged into of island residents, eat lobster understood the flawed humanity a steep wall of granite as if and fried clams, walk among the behind Macbeth’s tyranny, and it teetering precariously on a cliff, citizenry, march in the Fourth made her feel sympathy for, of all was the Opera House, corporeal of July parade, and put a hu- people, Saddam Hussein. and incontrovertible. What hap- man face to theater—while also By the time of “Macbeth” in pened inside the hall was even working indoors for 10 long days 2008, I had spent a year as the more notable. Not to work the finalizing preparations for open- inaugural arts and culture fellow granite metaphor too hard, but ing night. at the Nieman Foundation and, at this place rocked. As a complement to the stage the completion of that year, my I knew that first night—and work in the past two years, the full-time arts reporting position was bolstered in my opinion later Opera House has held commu- had, much like the Scottish king, that summer with a stunning pro- nity “reads” at local libraries: As been slain by a coup of another duction of “The Tempest”—that many as 20 people sit around kind: technology over print, the the Opera House had a vibe I had a table and speak the text out news story over in-depth arts rarely seen at other performing loud, occasionally stopping to coverage. arts centers in Maine. explicate a line, word or thought. That’s when Opera House Ar- Similar to the traveling theater The process is always revelatory, tistic Director Judith Jerome and companies that visited Stratford- and those who start out shy often Executive Director Linda Nelson on-Avon during Shakespeare’s end up stars. Or at least starry asked me to lead the library reads

Members of an island community in Maine read aloud from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream’’ at a read facili- tated by Anstead. Photo by Alicia Anstead.

78 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 End Note and to conduct a post-show talk- controversial, connection to the an Amazon’s drugged dream. back with a Shakespeare scholar action. Linda saw that same pos- Both the Maine Arts Commis- and members of the creative sibility for the arts. What if an sion, which awarded me an Artist team. The professional ease and arts journalist embedded herself Visibility Grant, and the Bangor naturalness of the events sparked in the community, applying her Daily News, which distributed not only my imagination but reporting and analytical skills to our content, saw the value in Linda’s, too. a production of Shakespeare? “Shakespeare and the Journalist I might not have considered in the 21st Century,” the title for Embedded Journalism doing this work with any other a project that revolved around arts organization. It mattered a production of “A Midsummer A journalist herself, Linda saw to me that the Opera House Night’s Dream” at the Opera the possibility for another kind upholds the highest standards House this summer. of “embedded journalism”—in for Shakespeare, convening au- Notice I wrote “our content” much the same way the actors ditions in New York City and because, while I moderated the embedded, literally, in the com- scrupulously choosing theater blog, facilitated community reads, munity. The term entered the artists—directors, designers, and led two talk-backs for this lexicon with reporters in Iraq who composers, actors—committed to project, the administrative and boarded tanks with soldiers and reinterpreting Shakespeare, such artistic staff and even the audi- went out into the night wearing as “The Taming of the Shrew” set ence contributed, shaping cover- flak jackets and helmets while in a women’s prison, “Hamlet” age with new voices and insights. carrying notebooks and cameras. with a silent movie patina, and They opened a window to the The result was an immediate, if “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as process, to the lives of artists

Anstead interacted with community members, summer visitors, and theater professionals as she put her reporting skills to use in new ways, in concert with a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream’’ at the Stonington Opera House in Maine. Photo by Carolyn Caldwell.

Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 79 End Note

Photo by Alicia Anstead.

and arts administrators and to the on the aisle for a seat at the table. experience of art. For my part, I Despite the decisions of newspaper hoped to create access to perspectives investors and publishers, we still the reader might not find in other need arts arbiters in the community places: videos of theatergoers’ re- to foster dialogue, to debate, to ask sponses to the show, photos from the the questions, to think along with community reads and production, audiences about what they have links to additional material about seen and how they feel. We need Shakespeare, and audio interviews dialogue about the arts because with leading Shakespeare scholars the arts help us understand private In pre-blog, pre-Facebook, and theater artists such as Harvard moments and global leaders. pre-Twitter years, an editor professor Stephen Greenblatt and We haven’t found a magic formula Diane Paulus, director of the Tony for keeping the critic’s voice and might wave a reporter away Award-winning Broadway revival experience available and funded, but of “Hair.’’ we’ve tested the waters for a new from stepping this close to All our voices mashed online. relationship, and it worked. I did my the flame of art and artists. It was an odd and yet fulfilling journalism. The Opera House had relationship for me—the embedded packed audiences. Shakespeare was But this was a test run for all journalist. In pre-blog, pre-Face- in the drinking water. Do I continue book, pre-Twitter years, an editor to wonder about the evaluative role of us, a potential model for might wave a reporter away from of the critic? Ah, there may be the arts reporting at a time when stepping this close to the flame of rub. But I no longer wonder if there art and artists. But this was a test is a new possibility for creating a an estimated half of all the run for all of us, a potential model place for the voices that help us to for arts reporting at a time when an understand, know, think about, and staff arts reporting jobs in this estimated half of all the staff arts digest art.  country have been eliminated. reporting jobs in this country have been eliminated. Alicia Anstead, a 2008 Nieman Frankly, it was more honest on Fellow, is editor in chief of Inside some level: I have always believed Arts magazine. She also is an arts the arts critic is more closely con- consultant, freelance writer, and nected to the artist, more passionate journalism instructor at Harvard about the craft than we openly admit. Extension School. Her work with Oscar Wilde saw the critic as artist Opera House Arts is at http:// and while I won’t go that far, I can Shakestonington.blogspot.com. see the value of giving up the seat

80 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 NIEMAN REPORTS NIEMAN

Nieman Reports One Francis Avenue Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 VOL. 63 NO. 3 FALL 2009 LET’S TALK: JOURNALISM AND SOCIAL MEDIA THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY ATHARVARD FOUNDATION NIEMAN THE MEDIA SOCIAL AND JOURNALISM TALK: LET’S 2009 FALL 3 NO. 63 VOL.